Sponsorship

Sorry for the delay in posting everyone but we have had some electricity problems.

This week we have received a request from a school to learn more about sponsorship at STA and what it means. Most of the students that attend STA are in our sponsorship program so it is a very important part of our school.

Steven Tito Academy is not a government school. It is a private school. That means that the government doesn't give any money to the school to pay for teachers or supplies. STA is a private school because that means that we can make decisions about which teachers work here, how many students are in each class and many other important things.

In Tanzanian government schools, while many of the teachers work hard it is difficult to teach because there are sometimes more than 100 students in each class. Can you imagine if you had 100 students in your classroom? Now imagine that you had only 10 textbooks and not enough desks and chairs. Do you think it would be easy to learn?

This picture was found in Google images but it shows what the government school classrooms in Tanzania can look like

At STA, because we are a private school, we have a maximum of 25 students per classroom with one teacher.

This is a photo from STA earlier in the year. Having less students means that each student can spend more time with the teacher and there are enough desks and chairs for everyone.

There are many other benefits to being a private school. It costs a lot to run a school though, with no money from the government, so that is where our sponsorhip program comes in!

Asha, who lives right next to the school, is one of our sponsored students. She and her family are very happy with the education she is getting at the school.

Many families in Bagamoyo want a great education for their children. They want them to learn skills so that they can be successful in life. They also want them to learn English well so that they can finish Secondary School (which is taught in English). Most of these families though cannot afford the fees for a English medium private school where their kids can get a great education. 

So, Steven Tito Academy offers the sponsorship program. 

The fees for STA ate the moment are US$550 a year. That's a lot of money for a Tanzanian family. Some of our students are orphaned and live with a grandparent or other carer, others live with just one parent who may not have a job. Many parents in Tanzania have a lot of medical bills to pay, lots of children to look after or don't make much money from their job so it is difficult to pay school fees.

Students eating lunch. Morning porridge and lunch is provided free of charge to students who are sponsored.

 Through the STA sponsorship program, sponsors from all over the world sponsor students. They pay each month or the whole US$550 in one go at the start of the year. The money pays for the students teacher, food, transport to and from school and stationery costs for the year. Without the generous donations of these people many of our students wouldn't be able to attend and STA would not be able to run!

In appreciation of the donations they are making, the students write two letters to their sponsors each year. The students wrote their first letters in class last week. We will be sending them soon. Sponsors can send a letter back to their sponsored student if they want to.

The parents of our students do have to contribute something though! We will have our first parent contribution day soon. On the parent contribution day parents will give their time (instead of money) and help by doing work on the farm and at the school.

If you have any more questions about our sponsorship program post them below and we will do our best to answer them.

Questions
1. On average, how many students are in each grade at your school?
2. What are some of the reasons that parents cannot pay school fees in Tanzania?
3. What does 'private school' mean?
4. Why is STA a private school?
5. How much does it cost each year to sponsor a student at STA?
6. Take a photo or draw a picture of you and your classmates in your classroom. Does it look like STA or more like the other photo from a Tanzanian government school?