Donate to Educate – Tengeru English Medium School

Dear friends and family,

Our names are Peter Munch Johansen and Carl Philip Levin. We are 19 years old and we are currently residing in Arusha, Tanzania. We have spent the past months participating in a volunteer program that revolves around teaching students of the age 6-16 in English and Mathematics at Tengeru English Medium School. The school was established in 2012 and now counts 500 students, each of whom strives to further educate themselves. Our school was created with a healthy and modern moral code, with key issues like anti-violence and mutual respect between teachers and students. This results in a warm atmosphere with kindhearted teachers always greeting their students with a smile and always getting one in return.

When we first arrived at the school, we were surprised by two things: how happy the students were, and yet how little they had to be happy about. Facilities that we in Denmark do not think twice of are non-existent here, and it quickly became evident how education is not a right as it is back home, but a privilege that the African children do not take for granted. We therefore conferred with the administrative director of the school, our colleagues and our students, in order to compile their most urgent priorities into a list, that considers educational development while ensuring value-for-money and a pragmatic strategy to achieve the most advantageous results.

The first topic on their list is educational books. The impact of the absence of books already became apparent during our first lessons, but despite the lack of an item so essential, an item we took entirely for granted, the students still show an enthusiasm and a thirst for learning beyond imagination. Each grade consists of 60-80 students split into two grades, and we were shocked to discover that only six books are available per grade. This means that the pupils cannot bring the books back home as they are too valuable to risk losing, which results in them being incapable of preparing themselves for the upcoming lectures. Furthermore, the students needs to write the whole book down to follow what we are teaching, which leads to a vast amount of wasted time.The six books each class on average are given for the lecture are shared by up to eight children at a time, and this makes it very difficult for all of them to understand it. This is our primary concern, and the problem we aim to eradicate firstly.

The next priority is the school’s library. As shown in the pictures, it does not serve much purpose to the students. The school’s aim is for the library to be a place where students can work on assignments, get influenced by the literature or simply connect socially with their classmates. Their lack of resources, however, is keeping them from fulfilling these ambitions. In order to renovate the library, we have taken contact to Dr. Makando who built Actionaid’s library (the Danish organisation that arranged our volunteer project), and he will supply an experienced angle into modernising and refurbishing the library. The library’s main issues is first and foremost the absence of books, but also the heat and the uncomfortable site.The library is based in a container made of iron, and when the sun shines, gets unbearably hot why an insulation is required to establish an educational scene that also serves as a place you want to stay. The contributions would furthermore fund buying some furniture for the children to sit down.

We are aware we will be dealing with a sum of money that is not ours. For that reason we have been very thorough in our research and have conferred several people and institutions to establish the fundraiser. Our bank, Danske Bank, has recommended setting up an account, which will be under the name Carl Philip Levin. Furthermore, we have submitted our fundraiser to the Danish establishment, Indsamlingsnævnet (The committee of donations), that oversee fundraisers are in accordance with the Danish law of collection. Our roles in the fundraiser are to validate that the money is spent in agreement with the objective of our campaign, to account for the means spent to the before mentioned committee, and to handle the mechanics of the fundraising. We chose the site ‘GoGetFunding.com’ because it offers the lowest administrative fees, and it allows collecting in Danish Kroner, ensuring the fewest exchanges possible. The donations will only be subtracted a small card processing fee, which you can read more about on their website. However, we aim to cover as many of the expenses with our own money as possible, thus making each donation from you as whole as possible.

For the sake of clarity we have attempted to simplify how the money will be spent.

Books

The number of subjects differs from each grade with the 1st to 4th grade having need for 6 books, 5th and 6th grade needing 9 books and finally 7th grade needing 7 books. This means that on average for every DKK 75 donated, a student can become fully equipped with a book for each subject they are taught in, and thereby YOU can give a Tanzanian student a fair chance at a better life.

Library

When the primary concern has been fulfilled, we shift our focus towards the library. The experienced Dr. Makando has helped us budget the renovation, and we have formed a complete overview of all expenses. Included is the purchase of leisure books and atlases, the insulation of the building, the furniture and some small decorations. Should anyone be interested in the complete accounting sheet, we are happy to forward it.

We hope you can find room in your heart to give whatever you can to help these children get a chance for a better life. Even the smallest amount can have a huge impact on a child’s existence. Thank you so much for your time and hopefully for supporting our campaign.

Yours truly,

Carl Philip Levin and Peter Munch Johansen.

Help us spread the message by sharing the program!