Update from Mpwapwa
“We need good laboratories, good dormitories, and a good library so our girls can study adequately to prepare for their future.” - Mussa Mhaha, Second Master [Assistant Headmaster], Queen Esther Girls Secondary School.
Central Tanzania
Girls at Queen Esther Girls Secondary School are anxious for a science laboratory, which they believe will better prepare them for university entrance exams.
Educational opportunities for girls lag behind boys all around the world. But they are especially scarce in rural areas in Africa, where schools are far from home and parents may prioritize sons over daughters.
In 2008, the Diocese of Mpwapwa in Central Tanzania passed a resolution in support of girl’s education because of the great gender disparities between girls and boys. This led to the founding of Queen Esther Girls Secondary School, which provides a safe educational environment where girls are encouraged to complete Secondary School – and then progress to higher education.
In 2018, when ARDF’s Global Leaders awarded a grant to the Diocese of Mpwapwa, we were excited to work with a new partner. Phase one ($33, 921) is funding the construction of a hostel for Queen Esther Girls Secondary school, to be followed by the construction of science laboratories and a library. A dormitory is especially crucial to expanding education as many girls must commute long distances and it is simply not safe for them to walk. Renting a room from a stranger in town is not an option for many parents.
For any new partner, ARDF undergoes a rigorous evaluation process. We want to be sure that our grant is meeting the actual needs of the community and that the local church understands exactly how grant funds are to be used, based on what they themselves have reported as actual costs. We work closely with new partners, putting them in touch with other ARDF partners to guide them through the grant process.
Why this rigor? Because things can change. A new bishop is installed. A disaster event occurs. A global pandemic disrupts the community! But since the local church is responding to a demonstrated need, we want to help them to meet that need and hold everyone - including ourselves - accountable. There is always room to adapt, but we have found that adapting such significant building projects “on the fly” does not end well and often costs the local church more money.
But back to Mpwapwa! Once the church received the funding for phase one of the project, construction moved quickly. Last month, we received an interim report listing the successes and the challenges of phase one. This is another part of our rigorous process: interim reporting before future tranches of money are sent.
Here is what we are learning.
As of early December 2020, the construction was nearly complete, with only the roofing, plastering, finishing and windows remaining. One of the big challenges was to bridge the budget gap. The budget was developed prior to the project's approval in 2018 and costs have gone up significantly since then, especially in this past year, due to the pandemic. However, the diocese was able to allocate internal funds to meet the shortfall. Indeed, the iron sheeting is already on site and the roofing will soon be complete.
The implementers acknowledged that they did not understand the length of ARDF’s funding process. However, they appreciated that the entire $33, 921 for the first part of the project was sent at once. This made budgeting the funds - where to spend more, where to minimize - much easier. This initial infusion of funds also gave confidence to other donors to decide to invest in this opportunity.
We are very happy to say that we have all of the funds in hand to fund the original requested amount of $109,250. And once the hostel building is complete, the next phase of the project - the building of the laboratories and the library - will begin.
Please join us in praying for the rest of the project and for the over 800 lives who will be positively impacted by this project.
The building in October 2020, before the roof and windows were installed.
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