On My Way to School

On My Way To School by AfricAid and Losinoni Primary School: $12.50
The Story
Around the world, students take many paths to school each morning. In northern Tanzania in the village of Losinoni, the long path to school is dusty and densely spotted with rocks. Children venture to school with the outline of Mount Kilimanjaro lingering in the distance. In the early morning, students are carried toward school by the chirping of birds. Along the way, sisal plants reach toward the sky in a Seuss-like fashion and acacia trees whistle in the wind.
Despite the picturesque surroundings, it is a long walk to school, but students make the journey each day because they know that education is vital to their future. This universal sentiment about the value of education is a part of the reason why Dot to Dot Children’s Books and AfricAid chose “on my way to school” as the theme for this project. There are many inspiring stories about the perseverance that children will exercise in order to earn an education. Through this project with AfricAid, we hope to help translate the creativity of the students at Losinoni Primary School into revenue for much needed improvements in their community.

The Authors
The 61 students of the Standard 7 class at Losinoni Primary School all contributed to the creation of this book. Knowing that the end product would benefit their community, these students spent several hours developing their stories. Three students in particular helped to write “On My Way to School” and received goats for their efforts.
Kishumui Olais is a 16 years old student who enjoys drawing and writing, and wants to be a teacher after finishing secondary school.
Upendo John is 14 years old. Her favorite subject is science – she wants to be a science teacher after she finishes secondary school.
Amani Loishiye is 17 years old. She hopes to pass her primary school exams and teach Swahili in a primary school.

The Impact
Losinoni Primary School is located in a remote Maasai village in Tanzania, at the foot of Mount Meru. Many of the school’s 700 students walk more than five miles to attend class every day. When AfricAid volunteers visited the school in 2003, they encountered overcrowded classrooms with students who did not have school supplies. Responding to these needs, AfricAid partnered with the village to provide school supplies and to build new classrooms and latrines. AfricAid then partnered with the mothers of the Losinoni students to start a jewelry business that generates 100% of the funding for school meals, resulting in a 30% increase in attendance.

Proceeds from sales of “On My Way to School” will help further support AfricAid’s work at Losinoni Primary School.

 

 

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