An Eye-Opener

Hey, it's me again (Lauren)! I know my blog posts in the past haven't been super serious, but I'm going to change the script a little bit for this one. Yesterday, our group visited a local primary school in Arusha (ages 5-14), and it was one of the most enlightening experiences of my life. When we first entered the school yard, we sat down with one of the teachers so he could tell us about the school's situation. This is what he told us: There are 920 students in the first session, but there are only 22 teachers and 11 classrooms. They are in dire need of at least seven more classrooms and a heck of a lot more teachers. After learning this little tidbit, all I could do was reflect on the many times I have complained because there were more than 25 students in a classroom and not enough one-on-one time with a teacher. Here, they have over 40 students in one class. Not only is there a lack of staff and classrooms, but there is also a lack of materials. Seeing the joy on the student's faces when we passed out pencils (pencils, for God's sake) helped me realize this. Students have to share utensils and purchase their own books. However, a lot of students can't even afford books, so they go without. Yet, they are still driven to learn, and that is something I can't help but to admire. After visiting the school, our group decided that we want to fund raise to add at least 7 classrooms to the school and we want to donate textbooks. We don't quite know how we are going to do it, but somehow, someway it's going to get done. You can bet your life on it. It's our time to give back, and that's exactly what we are going to do.

Signed,
Determined to Make a Difference