Makuyuni Primary School

By Karen Schrey

It's hard for us to believe that halfway around the world, there is a school where the most urgent need of the day is to find a small piece of chalk to present a lesson. But, I saw it with my own eyes when we visited Makuyuni Primary School in Tanzania, East Africa a few months ago.

Our visit to Tanzania took us to Makuyuni Primary School on a warm African day. We witnessed 4 or 5 children at a desk built for 2, a room full of broken desks waiting to be fixed, and classrooms with 60 plus children sharing 4 or 5 tattered textbooks. We asked, "What do you need most right now."  "Chalk," replied Samwel, the headmaster, as he showed us one tiny piece of chalk that he had managed to scrounge up to teach his next class. "How much does chalk cost, and where can you get it?" we asked. It turns out that they can buy enough chalk for a year, locally, for $35! Needless to say we bought him chalk!

Another day we visited the "Mamas", a group of widowed women who make a living for their children by making and selling jewelry. They were sitting under a thatched roof and when we pulled up, they ran to give us a warm African welcome. These women depended on us to buy their beautiful beadwork so that they could feed their children that day. We made our purchases and in almost the same moment came up with a plan to help the school through helping the "Mamas".

We came home and got busy. The on-line store, Jambo Creations, was formed. Here, we could sell the jewelry and send the profits back to support the school. Our Church, The Victoria Centre for Inspired Living, now has a global outreach mission to help the Maasai of Makuyuni. We have raised enough money so far to buy them a brick maker, so they can turn local raw materials into bricks for various building projects.

Now, we have set our sights higher. As a community, we are raising money to build a Maasai kindergarten. A kindergarten will give children up to the age of 9 an educational foundation that will prepare them for primary and high school, something that is completely out of reach for them now. Without the benefit of kindergarten Maasai children enter school at the age of 7 with no prior experience of classroom-based teaching or the Swahili language. Most Maasai girls do not get to finish school.

We have planned a trip to Makuyuni in May of 2013 to deliver the money we have raised and spend some time in service there. To date, we have 9 people confirmed on this adventure.

Before I left for Africa, I was told, "Africa gets under your skin". I couldn't imagine what that meant, but now I know. We are very privileged here and we can do so much for so many with just a little money. $35 can buy chalk for a school for a whole year! $10 can buy a uniform for an orphan! Buying $50 worth of jewelry from a Maasai woman ensures her children are fed and keeps her in business! $10,000 can build a kindergarten building complete with water, electricity and food for every child!  It seems like a bargain.

For more information on our "Sticks to Bricks" fund raising events and the 2013 trip to Tanzania please visit our website at