Scholarships project
We sponsor primary and secondary school students.We understand that without a secondary school education a young person in Tanzania stands little chance of ever being fully employed. Completing secondary school gives young people the opportunity to continue on to university, find work as teachers, police, military, or complete vocational training. Having educated youth will also contribute to the economic development of Tanzania.
Sponsoring a LESCOTA Scholar will forever change his or her life. Each of our students is at the top of his or her class and has no way to pay for school without your help. Your contribution also gives hope to his or her community and makes a lasting contribution to the growth of one of the most underserved areas of the world..
Sponsorship covers a student’s tuition fees, school supplies, uniforms, and medical expenses. All of this costs only 80 pounds per year.
LESCOTA community library project
The story of the LESCOTA Matekela library began with the opening of the MACOBICA library in Maguu.
Matekela village rests on a narrow plateau in the Hagati Valley, about 10 kilometers south of Maguu, the location of the MACOBICA library. Since its opening in 2010, students have trekked long distances to the MACOBICA library to utilize its informational and study resources.
One former student who was particularly inspired by this project was Mr. Maurus Nchimbi who was born in the region. Recognizing the impact of the MACOBICA library and the potential to reach an additional demographic of Tanzanians, Maurus organized the Matekela village community to construct their own community library on the primary school grounds of Matekela Village.
While student educational materials are an essential component of the library, the LESCOTA Matekela model emphasizes providing Swahili materials that are accessible to not only students, but to all wakes of the community. Through a collaborated effort of Tanzanian donations and fundraising through US donors, the library has over 1,000 books written by the Tanzanian and Kenyan Swahili population. These books range from Swahili children’s literature, folklore, and vocational skills like farming techniques, carpentry, animal husbandry, and rural health issues, to name a few. It is with books like these that the LESCOTA Matekela library hopes to encourage a “reading culture” for the whole community while providing educational materials to students.
Toilet construction project
Toilets and water are important for particular groups such as children, older people, women, people with disabilities, visitors to a school/library and people experiencing homelessness.
Having toilets and water is a basic necessity in library/schools; however it is not available in many rural schools in Tanzania. Due to this, children are irregular to school and eventually drop out. This project will help to build in toilets and maintain them, provide running and clean drinking water for school children/community at Matekela primary school where LESCOTA community library has been built. The expected impact of the project is better health and improved school/library attendance and reduction in school drop outs among the project village.
LESCOTA community library has been built at Matekela primary school and being used by almost 13 secondary schools, 43 primary schools and Villages around Matekela. This school lack basic infrastructure such as latrines and safe water supply. This is a key reason for village children and students to be absent from school and / or drop out from school eventually. Children in our village go to the fields for toileting, as toilets are not there or not in usable condition in school. Water supply is not available in school, so teachers / children have to bring water from other sources.
The aim of this project is to build community latrines for boys and girls at Matekela primary school with water supply, through placing tanks for water storage in the school. The project will also take up the maintenance of toilets by appointing a local woman for daily cleaning and upkeep. This ensures that the toilets are used and habituates the children to use a clean toilet. Drinking water purification system will be installed to ensure bacteria free water is available in school.
Providing hygiene and sanitation facilities in school will create an enabling school environment and children's regularity to school will be improved, awareness of hygiene and sanitation will increase and children will have fewer illnesses due to water borne infections. In the long term the project is expected to reduce drop out rates especially among girls, in primary and secondary schools in Matekela and around villages. The project will benefit 13 secondary schools, 43 primary schools and Villages around Matekela.
For more information or Donation enquires about our projects please contact us at: lescotatanzania@gmail.com