Ikirwa School

Whilst in Arusha, we had arranged to visit a local school.  Our company had made a donation of laptops - as well as school bags, stationery, footballs, books and games.  Those following my blog would have seen the bright colourful bags and t-shirts etc being packed up and shipped off before we flew out.

We were met at the hotel by Gasper, one of the founders of Ikirwa School and the School Principal. Gasper was a truly inspiring man.  Forced to leave school at just 14 he became the sole breadwinner to support his mother and two sisters.  He worked selling milk before working in Tanzanite mines. Eventually he earned enough money to put himself through English school and trained to be a guide. Gasper championed the idea of building a school in his native village of Midawe, donating his family's land to build the Ikirwa campus.

The school now provides an education to children not just from Gaspers home village but many surrounding villages too.  These children otherwise would not have an education at all.

We were given a tour of the site and Gasper talked through his great plans to build an accommodation block on-site for those children whose living conditions mean they don't even have electricity at home.  That means no light, which means no studying at home.  The plan is open an accommodation block to give these children from the poorest backgrounds a chance in life.  A chance to learn and make a difference.

There is so much more that can be done to help this school, and I will be keeping in touch with Gasper and doing what I can to help personally.  Having been to the school and seen it in action first hand, and spent the day getting to know Gasper and understanding what drives him personally I am happy to continue to support this school and the children of Midawe.

I have been very fortunate with the opportunities that I have had growing up.  These children just need the same - they need someone to believe that they have something to give, they have dreams too.  I love the ethos of the school, I love the story behind its inception and I have nothing but admiration for the determination and selfless drive of Gasper and the teaching staff.

I am now sponsoring a child at Ikirwa school.  I'm funding their education so they can a fair chance at finding work and making their mark in the world.  Sponsoring a child's education is not costly at all - in fact it costs as little as £21 a month.

If you wanted to find out more about sponsorship, or what else you can do to help please visit the school website here.

I can wait to start receiving letters from my sponsor child as they learn the English language alongside reading and writing skills.  I also can't wait to get back out there and meet them in person when I next visit.