Projects

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ASAP is dedicated to improving access to quality education for children in rural Tanzanian communities, particularly girls, so they may pursue a brighter future for themselves, their families and their communities.

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ASAP has three important initiatives that help achieve our mission.

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Community School Development: ASAP develops community schools (primary and secondary) in rural Tanzania for the purpose of expanding access to quality education. We have a holistic approach to school development, meaning that we aim to provide each school with the facilities needed to enable the students and teachers to thrive. Most of our schools include classrooms, teacher’s offices, toilets & hand washing stations, water systems, solar power (where appropriate), playing fields, kitchens and teacher’s housing. Thus far, ASAP has assisted in the development of thirteen community schools serving more than 7,500 children annually in rural Tanzanian communities and the schools are achieving impressive academic results. In fact, our first primary school has had a 90-100% graduation rate since the school first opened. This is a stunning success rate in a country where the national average is a dismal 36%. Our community-owned school development model is efficient, effective, measurable, scalable and culturally appropriate.

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Kupanda Project for Girls (A Replicable Model to Improve Secondary School Completion Rates in Rural Tanzanian Communities): ASAP created The Kupanda Project for Girls, a replicable model to increase secondary school graduation rates for girls in rural Tanzania. The project supports girls in all aspects of their lives so they can personally thrive and succeed in school. The Kupanda Project is currently being implemented in the Mwanza Region and has raised the girl’s secondary school completion rate from 4% to 96%!! See below for more details about the project.

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Volunteering To Support Schools: ASAP leads groups of American volunteers to work on our school projects each summer to create a cross-cultural understanding between Americans and Africans. We believe the “ripple effect” of these trips will have long-lasting implications for the world.

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Current Projects

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Ward Development Projects: An integral part of ASAP’s development model is to focus on the development of schools throughout a particular ward or region. The idea is to raise the standard of education — pre-primary through secondary level — for an entire community, thereby having a more comprehensive impact on the future standard of living of the area. Currently ASAP is developing the education system of the Idetemya and Mwaniko Wards of Tanzania’s Mwanza region. This includes building new schools and expanding/refurbishing existing schools that are in poor condition. While much progress has been made, the schools still desperately need water systems, toilets, classrooms, books & desks, teacher’s housing, science labs, electricity, kitchens and playing fields.

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Improving Girls Secondary Education: In addition to building and refurbishing schools, ASAP has created a replicable model to increase girls’ secondary school graduation rates in East Africa and to empower young women to ignite change in their communities. The Kupanda Project for Girls is predicated on the idea that there are many answers to the question “What does a girl in rural East Africa need to be successful in school?” It supports girls in a holistic way to access and succeed in secondary school, thereby improving the likelihood that they will graduate and pursue tertiary education and/or employment. Ultimately, this initiative will empower thousands of girls to improve their lives and inspire change for future generations. The Kupanda Project includes 1) dormitories with wrap-around services, including safety, nutrition, clean water, sanitation and menstrual support, 2) academic programs, including teacher training, science & math, computer training, and personal tutoring, 3) leadership & empowerment development, and 4) community education and engagement to build support for girl’s education.

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TANZANIA

ASAP IN ACTION

Since we began in 2008, we have developed primary and secondary schools in Tanzania that currently serve over 7,500 students. And, ASAP created The Kupanda Project for Girls, a holistic model to improved secondary school graduation rates for girls in rural, underserved communities. Our model is replicable and scalable, and we take great pride in our community partnerships. Our schools are in the Arusha region and the Mwanza region.

Our Projects

Idetemya Secondary School (Kupanda Project)

Since 2014, ASAP has worked to develop Idetemya Secondary into the model school it has become today. We have built 12 new classrooms, science laboratories, computer labs, teacher’s housing, advanced composting toilets, and a dormitory to provide 128 girls the support they need to thrive in school (the dormitory serves as the hub for The Kupanda Project, an initiative to increase secondary school graduation rates for girls in rural communities of Tanzania). ASAP has also worked to improve the quality of education by conducting thorough teacher training and providing academic resources such as books, teacher technology and computers. Today the school serves over 1000 students and academic performance is soaring.

Chole Primary School

Six years ago, the village of Chole was created in a rural community on the banks of Lake Victoria. The community struggled to construct a primary school but only had the resources to partially construct four classrooms. In November 2013 ASAP met with community leaders and formed a strong partnership to help build their school. In 2014 with the help of a generous family from the U.S. the school was constructed and is now serving the 450 children of Chole!

Mbasseny Primary School

Mbasseny was the first focus of American volunteers who traveled to Tanzania to build a school in the summer of 2008. The village had a one room schoolhouse in very poor condition. With no glass on the windows and no desks, the children were forced to sit on dirt floors that turned to mud in the rainy season. The roof leaked and teaching conditions were difficult. Still, the children were desperate for an education and many stood outside the building in hopes of someday making it inside the school. Today, Mbaaseny Primary School has eight classrooms, teacher’s offices and housing, toilets, water, and playing fields, desks, books and over 500+ students. It is a beautiful, successful school and has become the heart of the village.

Miririni Secondary School

The Miririni Secondary School is located in the Momela Lakes region of the Leguruki ward. The school’s first two classrooms were built entirely by the Miririni villagers in order to provide their children with a secondary education which was not accessible before 2008. After the village completed the first two classrooms, ASAP volunteers stepped in to help the school construct two more in 2009. Volunteers in 2012 worked to the complete two additional classrooms, giving the school a total of six. The long term plan for the school includes the development of six more classrooms and a dormitory for girls. This safe-haven would give girls a protected environment to complete their secondary school education and a chance at a better life.

Kirenga Primary School

Kirenga Primary School was a little one room school only three kilometers from the village of King’ori, the main market town of the district. It was in a similar condition to most Tanzanian community schools—those built by villagers who have an income of less than $1 per day per family. Despite this, the school has a feeling of being well cared for and any visitor to the school immediately feels that the students are much loved by their teachers and their families. In 2009, ASAP recognized the village’s commitment to education and officially partnered with the community to develop their primary school. Over the course of four years, ASAP volunteers built a four classroom school building (complete with glass windows, desks and books), then a second building with three more classrooms, a soccer field, a kitchen with a fuel-efficient stove, a toilet building, a rain-water capture system/cistern for clean drinking water and an outdoor classroom with a gazebo (to provide additional learning space when the weather is dry). Today, the school is one of the best in the region and learning conditions for the students are greatly improved. With a shining new school and facilities, student academic scores are showing great improvement. Kirenga is a case study in what a village can accomplish with a little help from others!

Bhulalombeshi Primary School

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