Background of School

Oldenderit Primary School is a government-run school within the Nduruma Village,Nduruma Ward, Arusha District, Tanzania, and the school teaches over 350 children from ages 5 to 15. There are 10 teachers, a headmaster, and a school chairman. The children are taught basic subjects such as math, history, science, social studies, English, and Swahili. All classes are taught in their mother tongue Swahili. Oldenderit Primary School has been providing children with an education since 2004 when it was founded. School runs from January to mid of November with holidays in December and June.

Oldenderit Primary School is provided with a small amount of funds annually from the government that barely covers what is needed for a school year, let alone provides opportunity to upgrade the deteriorating conditions of the school. It has never had electricity or run water through the building, In 2016 Mr. Edward Wilson has done the best work to make several follow up to Tanzania Ministry of Water and in 2017 the Oldenderiti village was connected with safe running water which saved students from using dirty river water for the children to drink which was coming through out Themi River, the washroom holes are overflowing and the school walls/floors/roofs are crumbling. In the recent months the government has provided the school with 2-new extra unfinished class rooms, and Edward Wilson in collaboration with volunteers has helped the school with repair for windows and one door (including glass) for the teacher’s office, leaving the rest of the school still needing windows and doors. School supplies are also scarce as every five children share a book and every three children share a pencil to do their work.

Overview of Village

Nduruma village has a population of approximately 3,000-5,000 people, and there are mainly livestock keepers and farmers who live here. The primary languages are Maasai and Swahili. It is approximately 45 minutes with car driving away from Arusha town to Oldenderiti. As Nduruma villager’s income is based solely on farming and livestock keeping, it is found to be one of the poorest villages in Tanzania. Frequent drought conditions dry up farms, so many farmers and livestock keepers are forced to seek other means of generating some type of income to buy food. 

Water distribution and electricity is either scarce or unaffordable for the people who live here. The village main water source was Themi river that flows from Mt. Meru but because of the dry weather conditions in Tanzania the river is running dry and the village was lucky to get connected with Running water but still the existing water need to get supplied near to families, So pipes and other equipments are required in order to distribute water to families that has no water because water centres are still very few and far for some people, ranging from 200mts to 500mnts travel for some.

 This river water is very harmful for people to drink, especially since the majority of people do not understand the importance of boiling water or they are too poor to buy fuel. There are a high percentage of people contracting stomach infections, typhoid, fevers, malaria, worms and other parasites and because the clinic is far and cost money many people are unable to seek medical treatment.

Projects

AMANI HOSTEL  is working together with other local NGO’s in Arusha to help the children at Oldenderit Primary School in receiving proper education in a school that is safe to be in. We are looking for people with big hearts who want to make a difference in these children’s lives. You can do that by donating to one of the projects, fundraising to help us raise the funds, or volunteering your time in Oldenderit primary school. Below you can see the types of projects you can participate in. 

Water Project 

The top priority at Oldenderit Primary School right now is providing the children and their families with safe running drinking water. There is running water at the school but sometimes the water is not there permanently and this sometimes leads the students to go to Themi River to fetch water there and the water from Themi River is not safe at all because it has been tested and found to be more harmful for the children. The school does not have the funds to purchase Sim Tanks for Water storage to store the water for the children and school uses so when there is no running water at the School main pipe then they are forced to drink or to use water from Themi River and this Dirty water leads to a cycle of disease, missed school days, and high drop-out rates – especially for girls.

The solution for this problem is to buy 6-simtanks with capacity to store 30,000ltrs of water at the same time, So that they can access clean water all the time whenever they need it. The 6-simtanks with capacity to store 30,000ltrs of water at the same time would be able to provide clean water for not only the children at the Oldenderit Primary School, but the entire Oldenderit area.

The first step of this project is to hire professional contractors for $1,000USD to complete an assessment survey of where the storage tanks get located for easy use for students and for the villagers use as well as building a place where all of the storage tanks will be put on. This will determine the best place to put the tanks as well as building the small house to put the storage tanks up. It is estimated that the pipes and other equipments, storage tanks and supplies will cost approximately $4,200 to $5,000 USD to complete. Once the water storage tanks is installed, step two of this project will be to educate students, Teachers and  villagers on taking ownership of the water storage tanks, and how to use the water safely.

Repairing the School Project

The current condition of the school is deteriorating rapidly and is on the verge of being deemed unsafe and unsanitary for children. The roof and ceilings are falling apart, the cement floors are either broken or full of gravel, the majority of windows do not have glass and doors have broken off the hinges, and the school toilets are broken and overflowing with waste. The school walls, ceilings and floors need to be repaired and they need new washrooms for the boys and girls. Costs for this project is $6,000USD 

Electricity Project

The third priority is to wire the school with electricity so that they can have lights, computers for teaching the children about technology, and a printer to print the tests, etc. needed to run the classes effectively. Currently, only the headmaster’s office is on the way to be wired for electricity but they have never had enough money to run the power for the whole school. Costs for this are $4,000USD.

They are looking for donations to buy sim tanks and build the water Storage tanks at the school wire the school with electricity, purchase a few computers to teach the children technology, and to build new washrooms for the boys and girls. They are also looking for volunteers to spend time at the school to teach English, computers and various sports, and contractors to improve the school infrastructure and build the washrooms, etc. If interested in donations and/or volunteering please contact us through info@amanihostel.net    or call us at ++255 655 707 352 

Fundraising

If the projects of Oldenderit primary school have peaked your interest but you do not have the funds to help, you can do what so many people around the world do – raise the money through your network of friends. There are a number of options you can use to fundraise, including holding events, getting your school/work involved, etc. For more information on how you can participate in fundraising contact us at ; info@amanihostel.net

Volunteering

We are looking for volunteers to assist at the school or help with one of the projects listed above. Volunteers at the school can assist teachers with classwork, marking, etc., teach English and/or computers and even teach the children how to play various sports. They recently received a few football and netballs from visitors so they are anxious to learn how to play the games!

When you volunteer at Oldenderit Primary School you will stay with a host family that will provide you with a bed and bedding, and three meals per day. They will make sure you are comfortable during your time in Oldenderit School, and it will provide you with an opportunity to learn about the culture and way of life in maasai communities in Arusha, Tanzania.

Contact Us

For more information about becoming a donor, holding fundraising events, or volunteering at Oldenderit Primary School, you can contact the volunteer coordinator at info@amanihostel.net ,   If you are interested in volunteering at Oldenderit you may come and do it with us.

Please Find your copy of the Brochure  HERE.