Kawe Community is on the outskirts of the major port centre of Tanzania – Dar es Salaam.  The people are a melting pot of various tribal backgrounds, Muslim belief, Christian belief as well as many Masai people (especially men) who have traveled from the Serengeti region into the cities in search of work.

The Waldorf Education Trust quoted that unemployment in Kawe was– 90% versus the National Tanzanian average of 30%. They also stated the average monthly wage in Kawe to be $20 US.

This repressed economic state is partially due to the closure of the meat processing plant, some 10-years ago. This is now a skeletal dominant land-mark in the Kawe region where cattle graze in the grounds and youths play football.

The un-sealed dirt roads flood in the wet-season (monsoonal). With no formal drainage or sewage system, this makes for a real mess. Many children don’t have shoes, so infection is common.  The rain-water, sewage and waste water accumulates in large puddles and stagnates offering a breeding ground for mosquito’s. Malaria is then a huge issue, many people can’t afford mosquito nets or to replace their torn or worn nets. Most people cannot afford the medications needed to treat malaria. Hence there are numerous preventable malarial deaths and disabilities such as blindness and brain damage. 

Because of the impoverished state and consequent lack of education amongst the community, HIV (Human Immune deficiency Virus) is an even bigger threat. There is poor understanding on safe-sex and preventing the spread of HIV. For example, there is a frightening belief among some African men contaminated with the HIV virus, that if they have sex with a virgin – they will be cured of their condition. Obviously the results are tragic. 

A community leader estimated that there are 200+-orphans in Kawe as a result of their parents passing away due to the virus. There are no orphanages in Kawe, so children end up living with relatives. Most relatives are battling their own way through life and trying desperately to support their own children without been burdened by someone else’s children as well. Although the primary schools are government funded and theoretically ‘free’ there are still costs involved. Even for a standard family to get their children into school - its a big sacrifice and a financial challenge. Hence many orphans are not in school simply because no one can buy them a school uniform, cover their enrollment fee and supply stationary + books – a pre-requisite of the Government funded primary school.

School Uniform  + School books and stationary  + Enrollment fee at school = $50 US.

$20 US is a full monthly wage in the average Kawe family = totally unrealistic! 

Yet every child has a right to access education. 

For the record, if a child is lucky enough to score in the top 10-20% in the country in their final Primary school national examination, they are offered a place in secondary school. However, most Kawe children cannot accept their spot because government secondary schools charge compulsary donations of around $70 US per year and then the cost of uniforms - $40 US. The ministry of education select the secondary school for the student according to how they place in their exams. In cases like Mayala and Joyce (Watoto Kwanza supported secondary school students), the school is some 40km from their home meaning two bus rides and a 7km walk each way to and from the school. This adds transport costs of $1 a day. When you are an orphan and have no means of support, this is a difficult situtation.

It is a well established concept that education is the only way to break the poverty cycle. So when a child doesn’t get an education, the poverty cycle persists and nothing changes.

This is where the ‘WATOTO KWANZA Project’ intervenes.

Fiona Daniel (WKProject team) in Kawe.