On April 11th, the Elimika Foundation held a seminar in two secondary schools in Rombo, Makiidi, and Ubaa before they went on midterm break. It was a great time for both students and teachers to meet the Elimika members, whom they had heard about and were eagerly anticipating. It all began with how we were welcomed and the event’s coordination from start to finish. As Elimika, we rarely struggle to introduce ourselves, particularly to school administrators. One of the encouraging gestures was that on our arrival, the students and teachers had already prepared to receive and hear from our expatriates.
Makiidi Secondary School is a government co-ed school located in Mkuu-Rombo that educates youth from nearby villages. It has a total of 397 students from Form One to Form Four. Its performance is moderate, as it encounters various obstacles common to many Tanzanian public schools, such as a lack of enough teachers, a well-furnished library and laboratories, together with other essential educational resources. In 2024, the Form Four results showed 38 students in Divisions One through Three and 66 in Divisions Four and Zero. Nonetheless, Makiidi teachers are dedicated to giving a great education to their students, despite the few resources available.
Ubaa Secondary School is also a government co-ed school in Mkuu. It has a population of 436 students. Its performance is similarly moderate. Last year’s form four results: 46 students passed in divisions one, two, and three, while 46 got divisions four and zero. The causes are the same, and they are optimistic about improving their performance.
Elimika’s seminar was thus a way of firing up their energy in both academic and human values. The talks covered a variety of topics, including the use of drugs and drug abuse, moral values, sexual and reproductive health, protection and safeguarding, and many other challenges faced by youth in society today, like crimes and how to overcome them.
The students were ecstatic and did not want to let us finish the session since they were so excited about the discussion on every issue.
As usual, time has never been sufficient, but our goal is not to exhaust everything but to initiate a conversation and thereby increase awareness about these issues.
