Kilimanjaro, TZ – US college assists Mkyashi Primary School to improve student nutrition and learning environment – May 2024

Parents, teachers and children of Mkyashi primary, in collaboration with Lishe Bora team, were able to start a Grow-own-Breakfast (GOB) program at beginning of this year. The school’s serious commitment, willingness to participate, and enthusiasm for the program was enough for Better Lives to trust them and assist with improving their learning and teaching environment. Better Lives, through its local partner Lishe Bora was able to organise for Rollins University students from Florida, USA to visit Mkyashi primary this month and assist with funds and volunteer work.

This Rollins College visit, together with the college’s and Better Lives’ support, has started relationship building between the two academic instutions of Rollins and Mkyashi, and left them both with positive memories of the visit. Mkyashi Primary’s challenge of food availability was solved through establishment of the GOB program.

However, still more than 192 children were facing a learning challenge because 3 classrooms had unfinished partition walls, which allowed noise interference between classes. During Rollins visit, the visiting students, parents and children worked together with local skilled craftsmen to improve the classrooms walls, floor and stairs, creating a better learning and teaching envinronment.

We thank Better Lives and Rollins for making this beautifully collaboration possible. We are experiencing a positive change already, because it has improved the children’s concentration in class. The school is continuing striving for better eduction delivery and is facing challenges like lack of photocopier, printing machine, and low book stocks. Lishe Bora and the school hope in future that they will find proper solutions for these challenges.