Our schools

Moving forward to enhance Orchards!

In 2020 we further focused on water as it was identified as being of high priority. Typically, the children are tasked with supplying water for not only the school, but also for the teacher’s households. As villages are perched at the top of hills and streams are at the bottom, it means a great deal of class time being spent carrying heavy buckets. Even more problematic is the quality of the water as it’s dipped from ponds or slow moving streams. Illness from unclean water is very common.

The wells and large concrete water cisterns, installed to date, make the teacher's, and student's, jobs so much easier. This year, SOAS and TanCan added hardy hand pumps to the cisterns. The pumps can be used by the children. These were installed at both Kinyimbili and Ihanu.

Also, as a result of the economic down-turn, resulting from Covid-19, the parents in Kidete Primary were unable to complete the kindergarten classrooms that they had started. SOAS stepped in, with a $3000US donation to finish the mud brick classrooms.

We thank our supporters for helping us to help those less fortunate.

In 2019 Our 10 orchards are flourishing, providing improved nutrition to over 4,000 disadvantaged children. The avocado trees give heavy yields, providing an income for some schools and enticing rural farmers to plant avocado orchards.

The permaculture project at Mdabulo Secondary School continues to significantly supplement the diet of the 800 students in residence. It has become a demonstration permaculture garden, and a teaching platform for local and international volunteers.

Visits by SOAS directors – personally financed – alerted us to a water crisis: children carrying contaminated water long distances to supply the school’s overall water needs. Through grants from the Kahane Foundation we have drilled wells at 3 schools schools: Mdabulo Secondary, Ihanu Secondary and Mlevelwa Primary. With support from the Duncan Rotary we have installed covered in-ground cisterns of 100,000 litres at 2 schools: Kinyimbili and Ihanu Primary. These concrete tanks harvest enough water during the rainy season to meet year round water needs. Our goal is to continue with improvements to the water supply at each of the schools.

In 2018 again in collaboration with The Kalane Foundation we intend to install another community well. As our local school's project co-ordinator, Ottoman Lutambi, has near completed his permacuture teaching courses, we intend, with the on ground assistance from TanCan to embark upon designing and implementing another permaculture secondary school in the Iringa area. Students from the ten primary schools feed into the seconday school.

In 2017 In collaboration with TanCan, Seven Ravens Permaculture Institute, and the Kahane Foundation, SOAS implemented an ambitious 2.5 acre permaculture project at Mdabulo Secondary School. A community well, and cistern, was also installed. We also planted a two hundred fruit tree orchard in both Ibwanz Primary and Ihanu Primary.

In 2016 SOAS provided training in permaculture for Ottoman Lutambi. Ottoman plans to building a Permaculture Teaching Academy for graduating students in the region. Many of the orchards are starting to produce fruit - solar dehydration is becoming a topic of interest.

In 2015 School Orchards Africa funded TanCan to help children plant orchards at two more rural schools. They are at the villages of Nandala and Ludilo. Approximately 300 trees were planted at each school and at each a water cistern was supplied. TanCan organized a pruning and maintenance workshop for the teachers, students and community supporters from all the participating schools.

In 2014 orchards and water cisterns were established in the village schools of Ilasa and Igoda.

Students at Ilasa school planting their first seedlngs.

A first lesson in agriculture for students at Igoda school.

2013 - Mlevelwa Primary School

Mlevelwa is another small Tanzananian village in the rural area.
There are 218 students in grades 1-7 (115 girls; 103 boys).
Like the others there is no electricity.

School Orchards Africa Society funded Tancan to provide the following at Mlevelwa :

In January 2013, Tancan planted 300 trees in the schoolyard.
Tancan also installed a cistern to provide both irrigation and drinking water for students.

2013 - Mdabulo Primary School

Mdabulo is a similar rural small Tanzananian village.
There are 441 students in grades 1-7 (234 girls; 207 boys).
Like the others there is no electricity.

School Orchards Africa Society has funded Tancan to provide the following at Mdabulo:

In January 2013, Tancan planted 300 trees in the schoolyard.
Tancan also installed a cistern to provide both irrigation and drinking water for students.

Variety            Number of trees planted.
Avocado 50
Apple 50
Peach 50
Guava 150

Growth and survival data will be available when we receive our first annual progress report. Extra Guava were planted here as experience at the other schools showed they do well in the climate and they have had 100% success rate, (very resistant to disease and drought) , lots of fruit per tree, they are the childrens favourite, and they are the most nutritious.

2011 - Kidete Primary School

Kidete is village south of Iringa, at 2000 meters elevation: population 2,728.
The school was constructed in 2008 on communal land and is centrally located.
Children walk on average 3 kilometers to school.
There are 164 students in 4 classrooms (3 pupils per desk) without electricity.
Grades are 1-7 with 79 boys and 85 girls and 4 teachers.

School Orchards Africa Society has funded Tancan to provide the following at Kidete:

January 2011, Tancan planted 200 trees in the schoolyard.
May 2011, Tancan installed a cistern to provide drinking water for students.

Variety            Height initially (cm)        Height now (cm)        Survival rate
Avocado                 60                                     90                        80%
Apple                   70                                   100                       90%
Peach                   50                                   80                95%
Guava                    50                                     70                   100%

2011 - Ikanga Primary School

Ikanga is a small village 7 km from Kidete: population 1,495.
There are 305 students in grades 1-7 (164 girls; 141 boys).
Like Kidete there is was no electricity when we planted the trees.

School Orchards Africa Society has funded Tancan to provide the following at Ikanga:

January 2011, Tancan planted 200 trees in the schoolyard.
May 2011, Tancan installed a cistern to provide drinking water for students.

Variety            Height initially (cm)        Height now (cm)
Avocado                 60                                    100
Apple 70 110
Peach                   50 120
Guava                    50                                     100

Temperature and altitude account for differences in growth between the two schools.

SOAS Funds Motorbike

We are excited to announce that SOAS has funded the purchased of this motorbike! The roads in Iringa are almost impossible to drive on during the wet season. Tancan director's and their horticultural volunteers are now able to travel more easily from school to school to assist with the orchards.

The children plant and care for the fruit trees

Children at Kidete school

Electricity in schools

Rural schools do not normally have electricity. After we planted orchards at our first two schools the government installed electricity. We like to think that our efforts had some influence on that decision. We are hoping for similar progress at our other schools.

A class preparing to plant trees at Ikanga school

Educational needs

Some teachers earn so little they cannot even afford a bicycle. We would like to offer them some help with teaching supplies. Things that we take for granted in Canada - paper and pens - make a huge difference in Tanzania. With your donation we will be able to send these things.