Moshi, TZ – Parmiter’s School students visit and contribute in many ways to Kahe – 14 Aug 2015

From July 21-27 Tupendane hosted thirteen students and two teachers from Parmiter’s School (Parmiters) in England.  The students worked on a number of exciting projects including building a “Happy Pig” pig pen and a new design for a family toilet. The students also started vegetable gardens with nine families in the community and donated hand wash basins to local primary schools, accompanied by song and dance!

All of this happened in just five whole days in Kahe. The students worked hard but had to be careful in the Kahe heat. The work day started by 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning and lasted until dark, with a 2-3 hour break during the hottest part of the day. After dinner each night students gathered around the campfire to share stories from the day and hand out the presitigious “Mashujaa Award” which was awarded to the team member of the day. The Mashujaa Award was given out based on student nominations and the nominee who received the most raucous round of applause won the award.

The highlight of the week for many students was spending time at local primary schools. The students presented each school with four handwashing basins – one for each bathroom and two for the breakfast serving lines. Along with presenting the basins the students also prepared a song and dance to perform at the schools to teach the primary school children handwashing best practices. The schools responded in kind by preparing their own performances for the Parmiters students. Performances ranged from musical performances to comedy shows.

Another highlight of the week was the community celebration on the students’ final night in Kahe. The celebration started with a soccer match, Parmiters vs. Kahe Ward. The Kahe Ward team was kind enough to lend Parmiters its best player and more than a few of the Kahe players may have been under 10 years old. That didn’t stop Parmiters from enjoying their 2-1 victory! After the match both sides went back to Tupendane’s farm along with other community members to enjoy dinner and a traditional ngoma including drumming and dancing.

During the celebration local leaders and community stood up to thank the Parmiters students for their support. Many people mentioned how honored they were that the students slept in Kahe during their visit, showing how fully they embraced the experience and the community.

Tupendane and the community in Kahe look forward to hosting many more Parmiters groups in the future!