The Naresh V Jethwa Freedom Award Announcement

Scholarship: Make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children in Tanzania

Scholarship

o you want to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children in Tanzania? Do you want to support a cause that promotes education, literacy and community service? If yes, then you should join the Uhuru Walk Community Service Initiative, an initiative that organizes an annual walkathon and treasure hunt to raise funds for uplifting the state of learning for disadvantaged children, thereby providing them with a solid foundation for later-years higher learning.

One of the scholarships that Uhuru Walk supports is the Naresh V Jethwa Freedom Award scholarship, a scholarship scheme that honours the memory of the late Naresh V Jethwa, a philanthropist who dedicated his life to helping others. The scholarship provides access to early learning education and English literacy classes for underprivileged children at Meadows Schools, a leading international school in Dar es Salaam.

The recipient of this scholarship is Doreen Gilbert Mwipi, a bright and talented girl who dreams of becoming a doctor. Thanks to the scholarship, Doreen will be able to attend weekly English language and early learning classes at Meadows Schools, where she will receive a quality education, nurturing care and individual attention. She will also benefit from the school’s curriculum that enhances self-concept, instils moral values, encourages social interaction and enriches awareness of the natural and cultural world.

Doreen is one of the many children who have been given a chance to pursue their dreams and achieve their potential through various other scholarships.

The scholarship is a tribute to the late Naresh V Jethwa, who believed in the power of education and community service to transform lives and society. He was a visionary leader, a generous benefactor and a role model for many.

You can help more children like Doreen by supporting Uhuru Walk and its projects. Visit https://uhuruwalk.org/ to learn more about how you can participate, donate or sponsor this noble initiative. Together, we can make a difference!

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Phone: +255 755 276750

5 Mfaume Stree, off Fire Station Road, Upanga West

What is Uhuru Walk?
Uhuru Walk is an annual walkathon and treasure hunt that is created by the coming together of organizers, volunteers and sponsors. As an event that has welcomed thousands of participants over the past 8 years, it facilitates the provision of Early Learning Education, English Literacy Classes, and Charity Drives for disadvantaged children at House of Blue Hope Orphanage.

Annual Walkathon, Cycling Event & Treasure Hunt

Held across winding routes in Dar-es-Salaam, Uhuru Walk is an annual event welcoming over a thousand participants annually for a walkathon, treasure hunt and cycling event. Over the past eight years, Uhuru Walk has been started and completed at several locations including Muhimbili Primary School, Meadows Academy and Masaki Sports Park. Beginning from these precisely chosen locations, our walkathon and/or cycling event typically spans between 6-9 km, along which refreshments and security vehicles are also found. Our event is perfect for both a fun family day out as well as a friend get-together with the treasure hunt as our main event highlight. Cryptic clues are presented to teams of 4 in either written or virtual interfaces, challenging them to spy on their surroundings accurately and…faster than every other team! Teams are also entered into our final test of cooperation, wit, and intelligence in our Wild Card Contest. A novel surprise revealed only at the time of the contest on the event day, our Wild Card contest featured basketball & rock climbing in 2020, playing life-size Tic-Tac-Toe in 2019, and life-size Scrabble in 2018.

At our event venue, our team of photographers and videographers produce a 3D, life-like portal of memory through hundreds of pictures along the route, during contests, of laughing faces, photobooths and many more. Apart from the immense fun experienced by each of our participants, we enter each participant into a lucky draw with over 200 prizes because we are driven to provide the ultimate experience of fun and opportunity at Uhuru Walk. Winners go home with branded merchandise from international franchise chains, free memberships, free-of-charge styling and grooming services, shopping vouchers, meal vouchers, and free access to luxurious recreational getaways like resort visits and scuba diving. Treasure Hunt winners and runners-up receive the most prestigious prizes of the lot, along with medals and trophies that honour their brilliance. Subsequently, our Wild Card Contest provides each Treasure Hunt team with a second attempt to have their names remembered alongside the Uhuru Walk of the Year with a heavy loot of 200,000 TZS!

Early Childhood Education for Underprivileged Children

Mohamedarif Suleman, the visionary founder of Uhuru Walk, is organized under Meadows Academy, headed by his business- and life-partner Gulbanu Suleman who brings her unique expertise in Early Childhood Learning to the mix. In a feature in the journal of ‘Childhood Innovations’, our founder expands on our philosophy of ‘Uhuru’ – the Swahili word for freedom or independence as he writes,

“An examination of the employment market in Tanzania highlights profound differences in the competencies and skills of individuals who have graduated from the local schools from those who have graduated from international schools. Although Tanzania had achieved nearly universal access to primary education by 2007, enrollment of primary school-age children has been decreasing.

According to UNICEF, an estimated 2 million children between the ages of 7 and 13 years are out-of-school. Almost 70 per cent of children aged 14-17 years are not enrolled in secondary education while a mere 3.2 per cent are enrolled for the final two years of schooling.

Unsurprisingly, children from families living in poverty are three times less likely to attend school than children from the higher socio-economic strata. It is even less likely that children with disabilities are attending school. Girls are also vulnerable to dropping out of school or never going to school, in part due to early marriage and pregnancy

Quality is also an issue affecting Tanzanian education. The UNICEF report notes:

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio at pre-primary level is 131:1. This ratio is 169:1 in public pre-primary school compared to 24:1 in private schools. Most children, especially those in rural areas, enter primary school poorly prepared due to the lack of access to early stimulation, poor nutrition, and the low quality of pre-primary education…Results from the 2014 primary school leaving examinations in mainland Tanzania revealed that only 8 per cent of Grade 2 pupils could read properly, only 8 per cent could add or subtract, and less than 0.1 per cent showed high levels of life skills (academic grit, self-confidence, problem-solving).

Enrollment in pre primary and kindergarten schools is low, and many consider such prorams to be merely a substitute for babysitting services. The demand for early childhood care is increasing, however, as both parents report to a work place. Thus, many day care corners have sprung up, posing as early childhood learning centers yet adding little or no value to children’s preparation for primary school.”

Editors continue to say,

“Meadows Academy founders Mohamedarif Suleman and his wife Gulbanu Suleman have long dedicated their time and resources to providing community service in need-based areas of Tanzania. With expertise in the field of early childhood, Gulbanu not ony operates a small school in a suburban area, she also designs curriculum learning toward an international system of learning. She has invested heavily in receiving support from the world’s leading publishers of educational books and her focus has been on maintaining low to optimum teacher-student ratios so that delivery of real play and learning is possible.

Mohamedarif has years of experience in training company employees, in marketing, and in writing for the local community publciations. These experiences fostered his ability to connect dots that others have missed. As Mohamedarif and Gulbanu discussed their respective work and observations, it became clear to them that the complicated job market in Tanzania was actually a result of insufficient nurturing during the early years – cognitive, physical, and linguistic development all need early nurturing for optimal development. Even if parents are well educated themselves, the daily pressures of work and social life may interfere with their ability to support their children’s development in these areas.

This was the inspiration and motivation for a community service cum capacity building project initiated by Meadows Academy at a low scale with the vision of reaching out to underprivileged children who are unable to access a quality learning at early years, selecting and nurturing them in an optimal approach so that the necessary development areas can be supported.”

English Literacy Classes for Self-Supported Futures

On a weekly basis, Uhuru Walk’s Volunteering Teachers (VT’s) research, plan and carry out hands-on English lessons for children aged 3-10 to create their independent, self-supported futures in a globalized world. Classes are constructed under guidance from child expert + curriculum designer – Gulbanu Suleman, and team leader + mentor – Sarah Suleman. In our ever-increasingly globalizing world, children who are unable to comprehend and communicate in English are likely to have fewer opportunities in their adult lives, rendering it even more challenging to break the cycle of poverty within which they have been situated. Each special, disadvantaged child supported by Uhuru Walk holds hopes and dreams for their future to come, yet our estimates demonstrate that only 1 in 25 of these children have the tools necessary to succeed in predominantly English-speaking contexts. Volunteering Teachers are certified for their commitment, dedication, and contributions.

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