Tanzania need positive thinking and risk taking Youth. Meet Novertus Modest, a young Tanzania and change agent who started an English Media School to support children in his village.

To achieve National development Goals, and to realize the Tanzania Development Vision TDV2025 we need to invest not only in education, but quality education  which can educated people who can compete in the job market and with enough knowledge to invest and effective utilization of national resources for the benefit of all.

Today we have Mr. Novertus Severine, a young Tanzania who realized the importance of quality education for all regardless of their background and economic status then decided to start an English Media for nursery and primary school in his village. He need everyone's support to make sure he achieve his dreams of not only supporting children in his village, but also complimenting to National Development plan and Tanzania Development Vision.

  

Mr. Novertus Severine, Head Teacher and founder of Severina English Medium School

Can you tell us about yourself?

My names are Novertus Modest Severine, a young Tanzania and a nurse by professional. I was born in small village called Ngulu which is in Mwanga District in Kilimanjaro region. I am the first born in a single parent family of three children. I live with my mother and my young brother and sister, I like football and working with the community for community.

What was the reason behind starting Severina School?

During my studies I was facing a lot of challenges including lack of school fees and other basic needs, this gave me very hard time to achieve my life dreams because most of time I had to stay at home to help my mother to do some small business and casual jobs (we call them Vibarua) so that we can get money for food and school fees. In my form four I couldn’t get good pass mark though was good for me to go to advance level education, but due to financial difficulties, my mother couldn’t afford to pay for my Advance level education, then I decided to go for nursing. After graduated from nursing I came back home thinking on how I can get rid of all those challenges and support my young brother and sister in their education, this forced me to start small business of buying maize and selling to other people, this business was not successful because I had no enough capital to invest, then I decided to change it to lending money to people where they return with small amount of interest.

But all the time I was thinking on what I can do to help my community at least to get better and quality education in affordable costs, also I was more hurt when seeing children in my village has no access to quality nursery education which is a base of children development, I knew that, their life is in danger even more that how I was, this gave me millions of reason to start up a program of teaching children when I have free time, but at the end I came to realize that I need to devote more of my time to help them and from there is where the idea of Severina School came.

What are your achievement so far as Severina School is concern?

Severina School is an English Media Nursery and Primary School. Since I started it is three years now and we have students in in middle Class, Pre-Unit and Standard one students. We managed to employ one teacher, in that case, Severina School has two teachers including me. Also we managed to secure three class rooms of which our current students use.

How did the community react on Severina School?

At the beginning it was so hard for me to make things happen. Not only the community, but even the village leaders and Local Government Authority was taking it in negative way, they were complaining that I establish it with the intention of killing other normal nursery schools, but thanks God now they appreciate what I do after seeing the progress and achievements of students that we have now.  

Where are you getting funds to run your school?

I have only one source of fund, and that is fees which parents pays for their children. Those money are not enough to cover everything needed for student to get what they are supposed to, but we are trying our best to make sure that whatever we get we invest in school.

What are the challenges that you are facing?

Challenges are many as far as still in a beginning stage. Mostly is the lack of fund to buy school equipment’s including books, chalks and other teaching materials, also three classes we have we use to rent them, to maintain them is very hard since we have very limited source of fund, but also the classes are not enough because we need to extend to standard seven, also parents delay in paying fees or not paying at all is among biggest challenge that face us.

How do you Severina School in next ten years?

I see Severina School among best English Media schools in my district and regional at large with all school facilities and enough teaches and good performance of its students.

What is your advice to other Tanzanian youth and the rest of the world?

Challenges are always there in life, but always there is another way to take you where you want to go, God is only who know everyone’s destiny, we need to link up whatever we do with him, and most of all we really need to work hard, no easy way out for personal success.

What is your call to Tanzania government and other development partners?

I know that Tanzania government do a lot to make sure that its people get better life, but still there are those part which seems to be marginalized, especially in rural areas. Government need to reach us and provide us with better and quality services. I believe most of youth are moving to town because in rural areas services are very poor.

My call is for the government and other development partners to support youth who are doing a lot to rid themselves from the poverty trap, and support their efforts which always complement to National Development Vision. With support to youth in particular they can be a great source of national development.

We have land where we can build our school, but we don’t have money to buy building materials, I would love to ask for development partners to support me at lease to have classes and other equipment’s necessary for school. No matter how small you can give, I believe it is worthy for these children who need to get better education for their bright future

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Collective Struggle and Solidarity is African Unity

Over the past years, our African unity has been tested constantly to realize that unity is not a one-day celebration or a mere occasional response to threatening events happening across the continent. Unity, instead, shall be a continuous collective struggle and solidarity.

For the past year, Africa has not healed from pain, bloodshed and diseases. From Ebola outbreak in West Africa to the recent crimes in South Africa, and the disaster of endless deaths of Africans sinking in the middle of the Mediterranean; from Al Shabab attacks in Kenya, to the Islamic State killings in Libya, and to Boko Haram massacres in West Africa - a similar pattern of extreme brutality spreading across.

I’m afraid that our sufferings will become normalized and our people will become just numbers and statistical tragedies on indices…

Early this year, over a million people flooded the streets of Paris with more than 40 world leaders participating, protesting the vicious murders of 17 people, including 12 journalists at Charlie Hebdo, a French magazine. While masses marched side by side in the rally at the Boulevard Voltaire, similar tragedies were unfolding on Africa. Just four days before the Paris attacks, Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria (and now in the neighboring countries of Chad, Cameroon, and the Republic of Niger) carried out its deadliest attack, where more than 2,000 people were slaughtered, including children and women.

These events, when reported in Western media, drew no attention for mass solidarity, but instead, all it could bring to us was travel alerts, tourism and investment threats, and foreign intervention to step into resolving our crises because of the absence of our leadership. Has anyone organized an international protest against the African massacre? Have any African leaders flown to Abuja, Nairobi or Tunis to stand in solidarity with each other?

Likewise, the global outrage over the Chibok abductions, where more than 200 girls still remain kidnapped, was intense but short-lived. The attention of international media soon faded and leadership reaction has been shortsighted. That’s why the kidnapping, killings and abuse by Boko Haram have continued unabated.

I don’t have answers to why these atrocities continue to intensify; I have even more questions. When are we increasing our vigilance and strengthening our collective stand against those who commit such atrocities? When are we starting to treat Africa as our borderless united motherland and not as small divided territories?

The solution to face these atrocities on the continent is not only to ensure short-term security measures or aid, but mainly to work on social and economic development. When are we starting to have a serious talk about economic integration? When are we implementing serious intracontinental collaboration in the attainment of Africa’s development objectives? Africa’s prosperity, as a united continent, will depend essentially on tighter political, trade and economic integration.

As we continue losing our natural and human resources, I am also afraid we are losing our confidence in our civilization, our pre-colonization history, our common identity and ourselves. Usually the unions play a major role in protecting the civilizational values, but our African Union (AU), previously known as the Organization of African Unity (OAU), has failed spectacularly. The AU is strongly based on important principles of unity and pan-Africanism. However, most of us either do not know them, or do not live our lives by them.

African Unity is not only about solidarity within the continent but also our collective response outside. AU member states have rarely voted together in international fora to safeguard common African interests. Regional institutions have had no uniformed mutually beneficial policy towards interacting with outside powers because most of the African countries are eventually bought off by former colonial powers. Sadly, the leaders unite only behind the AU, ECOWAS, CEMAC or SADC to protect each other when abusing and censuring their citizens.

Looking towards the future, we need:

•       A renewed focus on what unites us and in finding our common interest to build a peaceful and   prosperous common homeland that allows its citizens and youth to flourish.
•       A united political will to move forward together in solving our problems at continental level, and not turning our backs on our neighbors’ problems.
•      A celebration of our differences as our diversity and our diversity as our unity - a shift in dealing with Africa’s cultural differences that led to the divide and rule by outsiders.
•    To resolve our disputes always through peaceful means that would enable us not to be exploited or manipulated.
•        To unite our youth movements in a common vision to lead the next generations on a solid foundation of values and unity.

While many of our leaders may have forgotten the treasure of wisdom our ancestors handed down to us, the rest of us should not. So let’s remember the African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”.

 Credit to Aya Chebbi | Proudly Tunisian Blog

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Meet Miss Hadija, a young Tanzanian woman in the race of supporting youthful generation

I pledge my HEAD to clearer thinking, my HEART to greater loyalty, my HANDS to larger service, and my HEALTH to better living, for myself, my community, my country and my world.

Miss Hadija during one year assessment on KISA project achievements

Hadija Hassan is among the outstanding young Tanzanian women who work closely with the societies to ensure changes both human and societal. “Be the change you wish to see” from Mahatma Gandhi had been her favorite quotation. The involvement she had since young with her fellow youth gave her awareness on different issues prevailing in Tanzanian societies. Hadija`s major concern is on transforming the lives of youth and women in Tanzania.

Hadija in her Kisa project

Currently Hadija is working with the Non-government organization in Arusha called AFRICAID under KISA project in which she is mentoring young Tanzanian women and girls on leadership skills and life skills. She chose to work with this group because she believes that, once you educate one girl you have educated the whole society.

The KISA girls, seems to be happy and more confident after one year of mentorship

Traditionally women had been given the role of raising children so mentoring the girls (mothers of tomorrow), will help to shape them and also shape their children in the future. She believe that the chain will be in a form of personal development and nation at large.

“The marginalization of women and other women violation in Tanzania is rooted from our cultural practices that are sometimes encouraged by women themselves. Lack of self-confidence and the status quo have been the major reasons that hinder women’s development. Women had been very behind in social, political, and economic affairs despite the fact that the government has strategies to ensure women empowerment.” said Hadija.

Everyone is a leader, although others have devoted their time, humanity and dignity to serve not only themselves but also other community they live in, these are the one we call them socially responsible leaders. These people have ability to motivate, mobilize and inspire other community members to work together towards archiving the same goal. Not only men are capable of archiving those abilities but also women can, “believing in our selves is the only solution” said Hadija

We Share, Grow and Lead, is among the best motto by KISA girls.

The status quo/the easy way out/kama kawaida is a notion prevailing to all Tanzanian societies and women being the victims. Women and other members in our societies are raised knowing many practices are the result of their cultures and that’s how things are and supposed to be; not to speak in front of men, women being followers and men being leaders are the examples of status quo.

In the process of mentoring these girls, the most important things Hadija put into consideration is to ensure that girls are able to explore their potentials and exploit them to the maximum. She also facilitate girls growth by sharing resources/ideas and networks, she also challenges girls to move beyond their comfort zone.

Hi5 from Kisa girls,,,our future women leaders looking gorgeous with their smiling faces, we all believe on Hi5 towards the journey of achievement. Thumb finger:have the positive and professional attitude, Index finger: have a goal and direction. Middle finger:stand out and be proud. Ring finger:be loyal and a team player. Little finger:take little but smart steps

KISA girls during the seminar on women and leadership

Apart from leadership skills girls have to acquire other life skills to help them reach their dreams in this era of globalization, putting this into consideration she also train girls on social entrepreneurship, budgeting and saving, business plan, and business nuts and bolts. The main aim of life skills trainings is to help women and girls to think beyond employment and hence employ themselves.

“Sharing is caring, the more you share, the more you grow.”           

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Proudly Tunisian: Collective Struggle

Proudly Tunisian: Collective Struggle: Published at Foresight For Development -Africa Over the past years, our African unity has been tested constantly to realize that uni...

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