Illuminate Their World, Engaruka Tanzania

SERVICE WITHOUT BORDERS

Service Without Borders (SWB) is a student-led, interdisciplinary organization whose mission is to share the spirit of Virginia Tech’s motto, Ut Prosim, locally and globally by assisting communities in need through cross-cultural exchanges. Since its creation in 2014 by three Virginia Tech students, SWB now includes over 40 student members, two international projects,  Nepal and Tanzania, and numerous local projects throughout Blacksburg and Christiansburg. SWB projects engage students in real-world design, project management, construction, marketing, fundraising, and cultural experiences that focus on sustainable development for community partners. 

TANZANIA PROJECT

SWB’s second international project focuses on providing Maasai youth in the Northern Tanzania community of Engaruka with a primary school education. Specifically, SWB is partnering with a Tanzanian NGO to build an english-based elementary school, that will include a dormitory to serve both youth from the village of Engaruka and from farther surrounding communities. The Maasai ethnic group is one of the most impoverished and poorly educated ethnic groups in Tanzania, and young girls, in particular, are often forced into early marriages and robbed of the opportunity for education. An english-based primary school not only has the chance to protect these young girls and boys, but also provides them with the best chance for continuing to higher education. 

In the summer of 2017, five students and two faculty advisors traveled to Tanzania to begin construction on the first classroom block for the school. By the end of the trip, the walls of the building were nearly complete, and since then, the building has been completed. The Engaruka English Medium Primary School was officially opened on February 2nd, 2018 with 48 students.

SUPPORT US

Your tax-deductible donation will support the second implementation trip this May for seven students and two faculty members. This traveling team will shift the project focus toward installing photovoltaic cells to help power the school’s activities and support night classes and serving as volunteer teachers to teach the children English. In addition, since we want to keep long term and sustainable relationships with the communities we work with, this trip will assess the need for future projects, specifically possible construction and educational projects. We need money to subsidize travel costs for the students and to buy materials and parts for the construction portion of the trip.