The Pupils

According to Safina Egha, the Headteacher of Heri Special School, there are currently 42 pupils using the school, 11 of the pupils are disabled (aged from 6 years to 18 years old) and 31 non-disabled.  As in the UK, it is a distinct advantage for disabled children to be taught alongside mainstream peers, particularly if the non-disabled children are younger, as is the case with Heri School.  The disabled children clearly have their own work pitched to meet their individual needs, but at other times they can benefit from being with mainstream children for subjects like Music, Art and PE.  Some of the disabled students are able to come to the school for their tuition and the others are visited at their homes by the Heri School staff.  Safina says that the school will be accepting some new disabled children this year, but unfortunately some parents are still choosing to keep their disabled children at home.  From the reports that Safina sends us, the school seems to be a vibrant, happy environment where everyone makes progress. 

Registration

If you received some of Mark’s earlier newsletters you may recall that in 2014, Heri Special School was visited by Tanzanian Government education inspectors. They suggested a number of improvements that should be made to the school and said that the official “registration” of the school would happen once these have been completed.  With the help of donations made to the St. Jude Foundation, we have been able to pay for a number of works at the school (see below). 

We are seeking further clarification from the Tanzanian High Commission in London about the status of Heri Special School and what levels of responsibility the Tanzanian Government currently has for it now and once official registration is given to the school.  Safina has explained to us that it is not the responsibility of the Tanzanian Government to financially support the school as they class it as an independent school.  Remember, the school was set up by Egha Egha and Mark as there was nowhere for disabled children to go to school in the Mporoto district.

During the course of 2015 the inspectors have been to visit the school again on 2 or 3 occasions and are happy with the work that has been done so far. Safina says they have encouraged her to carry out the other improvements that have been previously suggested, and that they have also made some new suggestions, all of which will be of obvious benefit to the teachers and pupils of Heri Special School.

Completed Works

So far, the work that has been requested by the inspectors and completed is as follows: new toilets have been built and water supply has been connected; hand-washing facilities have been installed; a walled fence has been built around the school; the doors in the school buildings have been re-fitted to open outwards; steel rods have been removed from the windows; facilities for wheelchair users have been provided in the toilets.

The school now functions with electricity, this means that the school has lighting in most areas, and it has a power supply for the school computer, and for charging mobile phones.

Necessary Works

As you would expect, Safina sends estimates for prospective works to the St. Jude Foundation.  The Management Committee (Neville, Dylan and myself) meets regularly to agree priorities for funding.  Photographs of completed works are also sent to us so we can see that the improvements are completed satisfactorily.

Safina tells us that the following improvements still need to be carried out:

• levelling the ground and building a playground with swings, a slide, and sports equipment

• fire extinguishers to be purchased and placed around the school

• entrances to classrooms to be made wheelchair accessible

• a covered way to be built from the school building to the toilets

• planting, painting and basic repairs around the school

The total amount of funding required to complete these works is £2905. Please feel free to contact Dylan Roberts if you would like details of these costings.

Further Works

When there is enough money available, Safina is hoping to buy a bench-saw, 3 sewing machines, carpentry tools, and more desks and uniforms. She has recently sent photos showing that some of the ceilings have been damaged over the years by rainfall and will need repair.  So we can see, in terms of fund-raising for the forthcoming year, the St. Jude Foundation has its work cut out to support the excellent work of Heri School.

Proposed Visit

Dylan and I are hoping to visit Heri Special School in the next year to see how the improvements to the buildings and facilities are helping the children and staff, and to see what developments are still needed.  We are currently applying to several charities for a travel grant so that no money comes out of the St. Jude Foundation for the trip.  It is hoped that if a charitable sponsor can be found, they may continue to support the St. Jude Foundation in its important work.

Photographs

Please have a look at the photographs which have been sent to us by Safina over the last year

Thank you for reading this report, and for your interest in the St. Jude Foundation and Heri Special School.

Dr. Vivian Hinchcliffe, Managing Trustee