Students Help School in Tanzania

After 10 days working at the Mwereni School for the Blind in Tanzania, a group of 33 Grade 11 students from Southbank have returned to Westminster to reflect on their experiences.

The group helped to build a library and resource room complete with computers, TV and video; solar panels are currently being installed both to power the computers and lights in the school, as well as pumping clean water that Southbank installed last year. In between the hard work Southbank Students also tried their hand in the classroom teaching subjects including Maths, History and science lessons on solar power.

Groups from Southbank have been visiting Tanzania since 2001 and four years ago started working with Mwereni School. Whilst waiting for supplies to arrive for another project in a children's centre, the IB CAS Coordinator, Philomena Clancy, spotted Mwereni School and realised how much help they could give to the school.

On this month's trip the students could see the impact of their work had already had on the school's pupils; malaria had dropped from 70% to 5% thanks to mosquito nets and better hygiene, pupils were getting balanced meals due to clean water and crops that have been grown and education had improved from 70% to 85% pass rate thanks to better resources.

The whole Westminster campus has embraced the projects with parents raising over £12,000 through a yearly benefit with all proceeds going directly to the Mwereni School. Fundraising activities this year have included bake sales, penny collections and a cocktails and comedy night at a local theatre.

The trip forms part of the Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) element of the International Baccalaureate Diploma in which students must undertake 150 hours of creativity, action and service.

Philomena Clancy, CAS Co-ordinator at Southbank, said: ‘The trip can be used to fulfil the requirements for completing the diploma. That said, the school would do it anyway as it is such a worthwhile event for the students on both sides of the world. It really grounds our students and they come back changed for the better from their experience.'