Smiles At Tloma

Linda Lou Burton posting from Tloma Primary School, Karatu, Tanzania– Smiles. That’s the only word needed to describe our afternoon at Tloma Primary School, where our group of nine, plus two people from another Globus tour, visited this afternoon. Immanuel was the young fellow who ran out and took my hand, escorting me into the building with a sweet smile, walking as slowly alongside me as I needed. Inside, after a round of singing and story-telling from the children, led by a smiling teacher weaving her way around the room (if ever I’d had a teacher like that I’d know how to dance today!), we were invited to talk to the students about our part of the world, and to answer any questions they might have. Then, best of all, we got to sit with the students. My group of smiling boys called me Beebe (Grandma) and showed me their workbooks, pointing to the Swahili words for different family members: Mama and Baba for parents, on down the list. The singing show continued outside; the smiling did too; smiles exchanged, back and forth and around again. The adults had a sit down visit with three of the teachers after that, the blackboard behind filled with the facts of life: 815 students, 14 teachers. We were seated in the wooden desks they use; names of donors inscribed on each. Yes, the school needs help. Nothing there to smile about, except the fact that Tloma Giving is in place as a gateway for people to do just that. I’m choosing to send money to Tloma to be used for school supplies, thinking of those boys, and their notebooks, and their smiles. Photos of our visit below; see what I mean?

Tloma Primary School https://tlomaprimaryschool.org/about/

Tloma Primary School is located in Tloma Village, a small community on the outskirts of Karatu, Arusha, Tanzania,  situated low on the outer slope of the Ngorongoro Crater. Tloma means ‘hill’ in the Iraqw language, the native language of many people in the Village. The school was established in 1978 and has grown from a few students to the present enrollment of 815 children in grades Kindergarten through 7. The school currently has 14 teachers. The smallest class size is 67 students; the largest, Kindergarten, is 144 students. Children are introduced to the national language, Swahili, in Kindergarten and subjects through Class 7 are taught in Swahili. The English class begins in Class 4; once students graduate from Tloma Primary School to attend secondary school, all classes are taught in English.

The School Motto: Elimu ni ufunguo wa maisha (Education is the key of life).

Students begin each day by lining up outside on the playground and singing the patriotic song “Tanzania Nakupenda Kwa Moyo Wote” (Tanzania I Love You With All My Heart).

Watch the students sing – video https://tlomagiving.org/?page_id=446

Tloma Giving is a U.S. non-profit educational and charitable corporation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. The purpose of Tloma Giving is to provide support to foster the health, education, social, and economic development of the residents and families of the low-income and underserved Tloma region of the Karatu District, Arusha, Tanzania. We provide funding and support for facilities, training, supplies, and personnel, designed to improve educational opportunities for the children of the Tloma region. For students we provide scholarships, help purchase school uniforms and supplies, and help fund school lunches for students. For the school we help the school purchase teaching supplies and assist in capital improvements.