Secondary School (the US equivalent of middle and first part of high school) is government funded in Tanzania, however even the $150 necessities to attend school are not possible for many families. Many rural mining families are not able to send their children on for further education. Gem Legacy is able to stand in the gap in this need and provide uniforms and shoes, school supplies, athletic wear, bedding, and more for these families.
Gem Legacy provides scholarships to families in need with students graduating from the Kitarini Primary School.
The Secondary Scholarship includes: uniform, sweater, shoes and socks, notebooks, pencils, mattress, sheets, pillow, blanket, and towel.
The education itself is provided by the government, however all the supplementary costs to attend are the responsibility of the parents. While minimal, the first year’s costs can be prohibitive to many families.
Because secondary school is boarding school in Tanzania, all living items such as mattress, blanket, pillow, eating utensils, books, writing utensils are the responsibility of the parent to provide. While they are some annual costs, most of the items purchased the first year can be used the additional years of secondary school.
29.2% of rural Tanzanian children complete their secondary school, according to World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS).
According to a study conducted by World Bank, more than 39% of individuals who did not attend school in rural Tanzania cited “satisfied with the level of education acquired” as reason for not attending school. “Having to work/looking for work” (23.3%) is the second most cited reason, chosen by 30.6% of men versus 16.3% of women. 23.9% of women cited marriage as the reason for not attending school, compared to 5.1% of men.
By removing the financial hindrance to attend secondary school, Gem Legacy is doing its part to help equalize the gender difference in enrollment. Still, around 120,000 female secondary students drop out every year, according to World Bank. Statistics consistently show that approximately 40% fewer Tanzanian females attend higher education than males.
