A second chance for teenage mothers in Tanzania

Until November 2021, Tanzania banned adolescent mothers from receiving their public education. These laws extended to children who conceived due to exploitation and assault. Now, pervading norms deprive these girls of sufficient academic support. Families and schools continue to marginalize them into their households with greater domestic responsibilities. Severely under-resourced NGOs bear the full weight of supporting these teens, and statistics reveal that 97% of out-of-school mothers remain unassisted in Tanzania. 

Tumaini Open School ensures that mothers can safely return to the classroom. We operate as an inclusive, stigma-free learning center that serves as an Alternative Educational Pathway (AEP) for marginalized teens. 

In September 2022, we were delighted to more formally open our doors. Our team constructed a school that is well-equipped with electricity, water supply, and learning utilities. We enrolled 12 students into our first cohort and prepared them for national examinations. 

One student, Hollo, completed her Form IV national examination this month. She shared: “As a young mother who completely lost hope of continuing my secondary studies, it is not that I only appreciate having the second chance, but I am thankful that there are good people like Tumaini who with great love and care have enabled me to fulfill my dream of completing Form IV.” More students will complete their Form IV examinations in 2023. These girls have poured themselves into their education despite overwhelming odds. Their rigor reminds us why our work is so important. 

We currently plan to enroll 45 to 50 girls in January. Greater funding would allow us to accommodate more students in our waitlist. We also plan to expand dormitory construction next year so students may care for their children in our facilities. We are so grateful for your unwavering support. These months have tested us in new ways, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, but we have risen to the occasion. Together, we can provide opportunities for girls to recover their education.

Thank you!

Our doors will be opening in September!

Tumaini Open School in Tabora will be a sustainable, stigma-free learning center that empowers adolescent mothers to regain their education. We hope that these exemplary efforts will forge the educational sector forward in Tanzania, especially for marginalized groups.

When we conducted research in 2019, we learned that adolescent mothers were removed from the public school system with very little support to recover their education. Policies strictly denied them an opportunity to return their schools, and local attitudes were very damaging. It took the courage and collective efforts of our team to sensitize teenage mothers and their natural supports. We started our initiative by teaching two girls in a rented living room, and two years later, we have officially built an alternative educational pathway.

Three well-furnished classrooms are now available with electricity, water supply, and learning equipment. One student shared, "I would like to say that this school is very beautiful. It has good environment. It is situated in a quiet place, it has electricity, also it has water, and it has good tables and chairs. In other words, this school is really beautiful. In general, the infrastructure is very good."

We plan to accomodate twelve studens so that they may prepare for their national exams in two months. We will then expect to enroll more girls in January. We are also continuing to visit girls and their families in their homes to identify any specific needs. We have learned that they require dormitories, water storage, printed textbooks, and laboratories to practice science lessons.

As we celebrate and thank all those who have contributed to this achievement, we invite stakeholders to participate in the continuing development of this center. We would like to provide girls with dormitories, vocational classrooms, kitchens, learning materials, a dining hall, and other essentials such as hygiene and sanitary materials.

For more information, you may visit our website.

Links:

• https://tumainiopenschool.wordpress.com/