Written by Zanzibar intern, Michael Cohendy
The Jambiani Educational Community Centre is going to be a sustainable place where we can teach at more suitable hours of the day for the students without depending on government facilities. While we are waiting for the funds that would allow us to finish the building, the community helps us take care of the land. The Kanga ladies water the garden every day, and some of the Dulla Boyz (the local football team) come to help our volunteers with the weeding every Friday morning.
This Friday, I met Mwaza, who is 21 and has been working every step of the way on the construction since the project started. As he was helping us to move the coral rocks in the garden, I asked him a few questions about his motivations.
Mwaza grew up in Jambiani at the same time as the tourism industry started transforming the area. He plays football with the Dulla Boyz and never gets tired and does all he can to reach his goals. Mwaza dreams of becoming an English teacher to pass on this important knowledge to his community. He is a beginner right now and takes classes at night because the 1,5 hours a day that we offer doesnt fit in with when he is available, and that is not only his case. Although we have yet to finish the roof and the walls, we trust that this building will help us meet the demands of people like Mwaza and that our volunteers will be happy to have more students and more hours to teach.
The Jambiani Educational Community Centre will be a huge step forward for the Zanzibar Education Project both in terms of sustainability and impact.