Technology Pro Lends Heart and Hands to Ubora…and the SLS Computer Lab
The computer lab at Siha Leadership School gets a much needed makeover thanks to the IT team and volunteer Gary Leazer.
Volunteers are critical to the work we do in Tanzania! It takes a true village of volunteers, each one deploying his or her own God-given skills and abilities, to help advance our work of creating holistic community transformation in the Siha District of Tanzania.
Gary Leazer onsite at Siha Leadership School in Karansi, Tanzania, with his sponsor child.
As you know, the Siha Leadership School is undergoing significant transformation in terms of curriculum and infrastructure. To keep up with the times and vision for the school, the computer lab needed a serious upgrade. At just the right time, God assembled the IT Team, consisting of Louie Strydom, Bert Sams, and Gary Leazer. This team put a project plan together, and worked hard to procure additional computers over the past several months. In late September, the IT team sent Gary to bring the first installment of this new equipment and technology upgrades to Karansi, including 4 new laptops and 2 projectors for the teachers to use in the classrooms. Over the next months, the remaining computers and projectors will make their way to SLS.
Once there, Gary and Jackson, a former SLS graduate who went on to study IT, went to work organizing and upgrading the computer lab at Siha Leadership School. The end result is a beautifully organized and functioning computer lab with 25 computer stations for SLS students!
Jackson at the updated computer lab at SLS.
“While computer labs in schools are now common in the U.S., in Tanzania a computer lab is a really big deal,” explained Dave. “The updated SLS computer lab is not only a place of great learning and exploration, but it further distinguishes our school as a place where students have the tools they need to reach their fullest potential.”
Aside from being an IT pro, Gary is also a talented photographer. He put that skill to use as well as one of the official photographers for the SLS Graduation celebration on Sept. 25th. Be sure and check out his work from behind the camera from that memorable day!
Asante Sana, Gary…We are so thankful for you!
What skill might you lend to our friends in Tanzania? Many volunteer opportunities await for those who are willing to serve, both here in the U.S. and in Tanzania.
Email: info@uboratz.org and let’s start the conversation.
Graduation Photos by Lane Photography/Gary Leazer
An Invitation to Impact a Nation Through Education
From humble beginnings, Siha Leadership School now stands as a beacon of hope for education reform in Tanzania.
Cheers!
Siha Leadership School Helping Transform Education in Tanzania
Contributors: Leslie Sams, Dave Burgess, Wendy Williams and Rena Olsen
The doors that God continues to open for our work in Tanzania are both humbling and awe-inspiring. We are excited to share more about the beautiful doors of our Education Impact Program, now swinging wide open, leading toward education reform and transformation for the entire country and people of Tanzania.
The vision was cast by Pastor Wariaeli Maphie almost 20 years ago, spoken in prayer, when he proclaimed, “The future leaders of Tanzania will one day rise up from the village of Karansi, from the poorest of the poor.” This unlikely pathway would be forged through education, specifically the establishment of a private Christian English medium school dedicated to excellence that would one day become Siha Leadership Pre and Primary School.
The success of Siha Leadership School has recently gained attention from national leaders in Tanzania. Teams from Ubora and SHEFO (our in-country partner) were invited to attend a session at the Parliament of Tanzania in June of this year and meet with top-level government officials seeking to reform government public schools in their country.
Public Education in Tanzania
As recently as 2005, more than 30% of Tanzanian school age children did not attend school at all. By 2013, attendance in public schools had increased but the quality of education received was sorely lacking. Teachers were given a very narrow and shallow curriculum and coached to “teach to the test” – specifically the national exams given in grades four and seven. This approach produced students who could “guess well” and figure out a test response but did not have an academic skill set based on actual learning.
“Since 2005 we have come a long way in increasing attendance and providing a very basic level of knowledge, but now need a system that prepares students for the modern economy.”
- Omary Kipanga, Deputy Min. of Health, June 2021.
“Our education system produces graduates who can pass the test but not do anything useful,” said Kassim Majaliwa, the Prime Minister of Tanzania, in a May 2021 address to Parliament.
The Siha Leadership Formula
Founded in 2005, Siha Leadership is a private Christian English medium school. Children at our school enjoy a custom curriculum adapted specifically for the Tanzanian student, with hands-on learning opportunities, modern facilities and adequate teacher and student supplies, low teacher-studio ratios, and a nurturing environment with Christ at the center. A school envisioned for “the poorest of the poor,” SLS is funded through sponsorships and the Ubora Project Child Impact Program.
One of the many challenges we’ve faced along the way has been learning how to teach children in a non-literate, subsistence-based society.
Many adults in Tanzania, especially those in rural areas like Karansi, are unable to read or write. And for parents dealing with mere survival, their children often do not get the adequate stimulation during the critical early development years from birth to five years of age. In many places children have the benefit of mobiles, early childhood toys, books being read to them, constant interaction from parents and loved ones—all of which stimulate developing brain synapses that are so important for learning later in life. These types of activities generally do not happen where parents don’t read, do not have resources, and are most concerned with the all-consuming responsibilities of daily survival. These dynamics still exist today in much of Tanzania, though progress is being made.
The road to excellence in education at SLS has been paved in incremental steps, with help from God above, and through Ubora donors, sponsors and volunteers. A number of teachers from Perimeter School in metro Atlanta have been invaluable in refining the school, leading seminars and investing heart, time, money and expertise in shaping the curriculum and mentoring their teacher counterparts in Karansi. Some have even moved to Tanzania for extended periods of time! These seminars have been well-received with many concepts implemented and integrated into the standard Tanzanian curriculum.
Wendy Williams, who leads our Education Impact Program, has lent heart, soul and her expertise in education in rewriting the curriculum. Her contributions have truly made a significant difference in laying the groundwork for education reform in Tanzania. Miriam Johnson and David & Mary Ann Taylor have invested years of their lives living in Tanzania, deepening relationships and mentoring both teachers and staff in transformative ways.
Our model is unique and effective and our graduates are well on their way to becoming the future leaders of Tanzania, including six students who are currently in medical school! In recent years, we have been developing a holistic approach to education, developing curriculum from preschool up that is providing a foundation base of knowledge that is not just “better” it’s transformative! Student scores are improving dramatically, moving Siha Leadership into the top 10 percent of all Schools in Tanzania. Even more significantly, students understand the material and are enthusiastic participants fully engaged in the process of learning.
Exciting developments are on the horizon for Siha Leadership, including the opening of the first class of the second stream in 2022 for boarding students, and prayers and planning for one of the first STEM secondary schools in rural Tanzania.
God’s plan for Tanzania...continuing to unfold.
The Next Open Door
Siha Leadership School teachers, U.S. mentor-teachers, and the Ubora/SHEFO staff aim to address existing concerns for government schools and become a touchstone of educational transformation for public schools in Tanzania. This goal is massive and slightly intimidating, but has the potential to dramatically improve the country. We are ready for the challenge.
With the recent meeting in Dodoma, SLS and its mentors stand on the shore of a huge sea change. With the newly conferred status of Reference School by the government, SLS can now embrace broader curriculum reforms incorporating unique Charlotte Mason-style philosophy with a STEM-prep twist. These academic upgrades will lean heavily on developing strong foundations, learning for understanding, critical thinking, problem solving, encouraging inventive ideas, expanding knowledge of and appreciation for literature, fine art, and the natural world, and a joy in learning.
As Ubora, SHEFO, and SLS embark on this great adventure to impact a nation we need YOU! Is God calling you to walk through these doors with us?
Email: daveburgess@uboratz.org
Walking Through Open Doors in Tanzania
Dave Burgess, president of UboraTZ, shares more about exciting doors that are opening in Tanzania as it relates to education.
By Dave Burgess
President, Ubora
I’m excited to share with you what is going on about a door that God seems to be presenting to our ministry!
Hopefully you are aware of the transformation that has taken place in education over the past years in Karansi--changing it from a place of little hope to one of great promise for the future. Over these years of progress, though, there has been struggle, and the change has not always come easily. One of our biggest challenges has been the government regulations of the curriculum. These regulations impacted everything within the school from content to class schedule to culture, and our teacher teams have done well to expand the curriculum while not running afoul of local inspectors. Overall, the progress made in education has happened despite these regulations and the cultural impact they have. Sometimes it’s felt like we’ve been swimming a bit against the current all these years.
But God has orchestrated an amazing work!
As the SHEFO and UBORA teams attempted to try to get local education authorities to relax these regulations, God had much bigger plans.
He placed the idea in Pastor Wariaeli’s mind to arrange a meeting with the Minister of Education in the capital of Dodoma - an unprecedented request for a small village like Karansi. At just the right time, God had the Prime Minister initiate discussions within Parliament about the need for major education reform, so Pastor’s idea was well received – and therefore a meeting was agreed. He then provided the resources and timing so that the Siha District leadership could attend.
And so, on June 3rd, SHEFO leadership, eight members of the Siha District leadership team, Jerry Thames and I made a trip to the Tanzanian Parliament to meet with the Deputy Minister of Education, Mr. Omary Kipanga and his team.
The Holy Spirit was present and provided the right words as we presented a brief history of the school, our curriculum, teaching methodologies, an update on the school expansion, and plans for the future of Tanzanian education.
The meeting could not have gone better. In short, the Ministry of Education has expressed its desire for Siha Leadership School to be a Reference School for future education reform! We now have the freedom, privilege, and responsibility to take education to the next level and continue creating the best education system for the children of Tanzania.
This is a major answer to many prayers over many years for our school. The situation was presented to the Ubora Board of Directors, and it was agreed that we should move forward boldly, but humbly, and with much prayer - in viewing this as a God-given opportunity to impact the education system of the nation of Tanzania. We have been blessed with different experiences and resources here, and we pray that we will steward these well going forward and blend them gracefully with those of our Tanzanian brothers and sisters – all for the glory of Jesus.
We all know that there will be new challenges to face, but in the coming years, this is going to be a healthy dose of, well, FUN! We envision things like...
The Curiosity Zone – a hands-on learning lab for grades K-3
Full science labs for the upper grades
Additional hands-on and engaging resources in the classrooms
Expanded teacher mentoring
More opportunities to read to children, and
Mind expanding activities for after school and on weekends
As I think about how much potential these kids have, I distinctly recall on an early VBS trip introducing one or two children to a simple game of thumb-wrestling and was soon mobbed by 30 kids. If this simple game brought so much joy, I cannot imagine the excitement and learning that will happen with the type of programs we are envisioning.
It is going to be a hoot, and we will need folks to go and be a part of this in the coming months and years.
Could God be opening the door for you to be involved on helping transform education in Tanzania? Let’s talk.
In His Precious and Holy Name,
Dave
Help send 25,000 books to Tanzania
Won’t you join us to send a second container of 25,000 books to Tanzania?
It’s hard to imagine…One government public school classroom with 70 students and only one textbook to share…. A newly constructed library in the village of Magadini in Tanzania, preparing to open, shelves built and ready, teachers, children, and families eagerly awaiting the arrival of books from America…School supplies in such short supply that children only have pencil nubs to write with.
YOU can help change all of this by donating to our Books for Tanzania drive!
Education, particularly reading literacy, has always been at the heart of our ministry. The children at Siha Leadership Pre and Primary School continue to excel. The Karansi Library, which opened in 2018 was the first village library to open in the area, providing a valuable space for reading, studying and transformation.
Our first campaign to send books to Tanzania was a huge success in 2018! The first village library in Tanzania opened in November of that year--a collaborative effort involving SHEFO, our partner in Tanzania, local government, and the nonprofit Books for Africa. The Ubora family then rallied around that campaign to send one container filled with 25,000 books. The results have been outstanding as the culture thrives and a love of reading increases for villagers, both young and old.
Won’t you join us to send a second container of 25,000 books to Tanzania?
To ship a 40 foot container of 25,000 books and school supplies to Tanzania costs $40,000. But, sharing your financial resources is not the only way you can help! We need volunteers to help collect and sort donated books. We need neighborhoods and schools to conduct book drives. Together we can help Magadini learn to love reading!
Please donate today to the Ubora Book Fund! Your donation of $25, $50, $100 or more will help send 25,000 books to Tanzania.
Your donations will cover:
Cost of books for the new library
Purchase of upper level textbooks for secondary students at government public schools in the Siha District
School supplies and manipulatives for early learners
All costs associated with international shipping, container, transport and other fees
Thank you so much for your partnership in this ministry. We know that God is ultimately the One who builds and sustains our programs, but we also know that He uses YOU in that process.
Imagine the five-year impact of your donation:
$25 buys 25 children's books that nourish minds
$50 buys 20 textbooks that dramatically increase school capability
$500 supplies resources for 15 primary school reading programs
$1,000 supplies textbooks for ten entire classes
All donations will go into Ubora’s general fund and then directly to the Community Impact Program for the library. Once the library is fully funded, any remaining monies will be used in the area of greatest need.
Yes, I’d like to help send 25,000 books to Tanzania!
DONATE Online: uboratz.org/books
Text to Give: Text Ubora to 43506
Mail: UboraTZ, 4575 Webb Bridge Rd. #5487; Alpharetta, GA 30023 Specify “Books” in the memo on your check