Book of SmilesBook of SmilesBook of SmilesBook of Smiles The Earth Assistance

Tanzanian Children at schools developed by the Earth Assistance

Adopt a School Program

Kirenga Primary School

A smile is such a little thing

It needs no skill or art

But O such happiness they bring

to heal and lift the heart.

Book of SmilesBook of SmilesBook of SmilesBook of Smiles

The Earth Assistance

Tanzanian Children at schools developed by the Earth Assistance

Adopt a School Program

Kirenga Primary School

All profits from the sale of this book are invested entirely in the African schools

developed by the Earth Assistance Adopt a School Program

Book of SmilesBook of SmilesBook of SmilesBook of Smiles The Earth Assistance

Tanzanian Children at schools developed by the Earth Assistance

Adopt a School Program

Kirenga Primary School

Text, Photographs and design by

Brad Warren

The Earth Assistance Foundation

Arusha Tanzania

2012

www..earthassistance.org

This book is dedicated to the smiling children of

Kirenga Primary School

and to

Susan Bachar

of the African Schools Assistance Project

who puts up with a lot

and can still smile.

Contents Kirenga Primary School 9

No classrooms but many smiles 13

Light in Darkness 17

Work with a smile 35

A Smile is the Greater Gift 43

Making Pots 55

Just Joy 63

Grown ups can smile too 77

Earth Assistance

The Earth Assistance Foundation through our Adopt a

School Program develops village Community Schools in

Tanzania.

It is a work of giving without any expectation of return.

Yet the reward is great and it is in these smiles.

They are many, they are huge and they are beautiful.

Kirenga Primary School is one of the schools we have

adopted. Like our other adopted schools it is owned in

common by the village and built on village land. We find

them in a ramshackle, dangerous and poorly adminis-

tered condition with almost no facilities. We seek for

funding then make every effort to build the school up to

its optimum condition. We overcome the demoralisation

and provide an education that is the only hope for

these subsistence villages with insufficient land.

We have been very successful and Kirenga Primary

School is, among others, substantial proof.

It would be an understatement to say that this work is

not without difficulties and challenges. They are many

and our volunteer workers are often deeply distressed.

Some just give up. But for the rest of us, when we are

burdened by our labours, we are bombarded with these

exquisite smiles and we know that what we do is good

and the value of it is understood by those we have

come to love.

Kirenga Primary School A school that is built with smiles

No Classrooms but many smiles When we first went to investigate Kirenga Primary

School our car got stuck in the mud. A group of teach-

ers and villagers came to push us out.

They were laughing as they did it although all of us

were soon covered in sticky brown clay. We thought,

“these are fine people.”

We were greeted at the school by smiles such as you

see in this small book.

We looked around the school. Two of the classrooms

had been erected by unskilled villagers and were fal-

ling down. Other children were being taught under

the trees. They sat on the damp ground.

The school had almost nothing. Very few books, no-

where near enough desks. No room for the teachers.

No water. Inadequate toilet facilities. Very little paper

and just a few shared pens.

But the smiles were everywhere and this is how the

love started. These children are our children. They

have given us their smiles and now the smiles are ours

too.

Light in Darkness Smiles that light up a room

When we start with a school we inevitably find that the

village made bricks of the existing walls are under-fired

(soft and soluble) and have been laid with mud or

mortar with too little cement. The walls are unstable

and need to be reinforced,

Inside, the windowless classrooms have earth floors

and the walls are unrendered. This makes for a very

dark classroom with the children’s eyes only inches

away from their books. Eye damage is the inevitable

result.

One of the first things we do is to render the walls and

paint them. Instantly the room becomes brighter and

the students can sit erect.

But as these photos will show the spirits of the children

are undampenned. Give them a reason to laugh and

another light fills the room,

Carrying stones so the tradesmen can lay the floors

Work with a smile Child labour say some.

Joyful work say the others

Everyone contributes to an EAF project and the kids are

no exception.

If you walk into a classroom and say, “Ok Totos we are

going to dig the garden,” they are out of the classroom

faster than a rabbit chased by a cat.

My old Dad used to say, “Hard work is the best exercise”. I

believed him then and I believe him now.

This school belongs to the children. They know that be-

cause they helped build it. They care for the gardens and

sweep the floors.

They take this care back into their own homes and will

carry the knowledge with them forever.

They love to go to school and they will love it for the rest

of their lives.

When they are old they will walk past their school and say

to themselves, “I helped build that.”

Planting Trees

Cleaning the school

Cleaning the classrooms

Collecting switches to sweep the floors

A smile is the greater gift What you get when you give to

someone who has nothing

“You give but little when you give of your possessions

It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

For what are your possessions but things you keep and

guard for fear that you may need them tomorrow?

Ant tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the over

prudent dog burying bones in the trackless desert as he

follows the pilgrims to the holy city?...

...See that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an

instrument of giving.

For in truth it is life that gives unto life....while you who

deem yourself a giver are but a witness..

....rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings.”

Kahlil Gibran

Text books and general reading books have been given to all the students in the school

Making Pots The smiles were not made of clay

To make bricks we have to bring in some trailer loads of

ant hill clay to mix with the local earth. The clay is excel-

lent for making simple earthenware pots and figures so,

of course, we could not let this opportunity go without

making some.

What child does not enjoy playing with mud?

Just Joy

Earth Assistance Assistant Teachers at Kirenga Primary

Grown ups can smile too

The King’ori deserted wives group is supported by the EAF

ASAP group with EAF staff in the new Kirenga classroom June 2010. Susan Bachar is in the white shirt.

Kirenga Village Committee Local materials and labour

The Arumeru District Education Office Permissions, advice

Teachers and staff Supervision, communication

Kirenga Parents Committee Advice, labour

Kirenga School Development Committee Organisation, supervision , advice

Partners in the Development of Kirenga Primary School

African Schools Assistance Project Senior funding partner

Earth Assistance Project (US) Text books

Books to Read (Singapore) Books, Text Books

The Earth Assistance Foundation Planning, management, funding

Earth Assistance