A better way to make a difference

From the streets of Manhattan to the crowded squares of Europe, much of the recent media attention has been devoted to the extravagant protest of those who call themselves “Indignados”. Thousands have taken to the streets, forcibly occupying major landmarks in protest against financial injustices inflicted on them by the capitalist system. But amidst all of the ruckus, hidden deep in the background, is the persistent call for help of a people who are so often forgotten and largely ignored by the mass media of the Western World. I am talking about the atrocious statistic reporting the 92% of young Tanzanians who cannot afford to pay for secondary school. While the noisy protest aims of the “occupy” group are often sympathised with by Westerners, the silent cry of millions of Tanzanians who are denied an essential human right often falls upon deaf ears. It is to change this gruelling reality that a group of Imperial students has chosen to speak out and take concrete action. Rather than forcibly occupying town squares and pointing fingers at potential culprits, we have decided to adopt a different approach by reaching out to local businesses in search for potential fundraising opportunities. The target of all our efforts is an inspirational education establishment in north eastern Tanzania, called the TEKUA project.

the silent cry of millions of Tanzanians who are denied an essential human right often falls upon deaf ears

TEKUA is an acronym that stands for the five Swahili words: empowerment, education, initiative, health and poverty. The centre effectively uses education as a weapon to break the crippling chain of poverty which reduces the lives of many young Tanzanian’s to a mere fight for survival. With education comes the empowerment of women in a society whose patriarchal traditions contribute emphatically to the spreading of HIV/AIDS. With education, the centre takes a concrete stand against poverty by equipping the youths of Tanzania with the skills necessary to find decent jobs. Most importantly, with education comes the possibility for young students to realise their dreams and make positive contributions to the development of their society. These are goals worth fighting for. These are statistics worth protesting against. There are 92% of Tanzanians who deserve a voice in our world, and we are determined to finally give them one.

Now how do we Imperial students fit into this context and how can we actually make a difference to the lives of these young Tanzanians? The answer is by doing enough work to make the TEKUA centre financially self-sufficient. Unfortunately this is much easier said than done. It would be far easier to ask people for their spare change on street corners and donate all the proceeds to the centre. This approach however, would make the centre entirely reliant on the generosity of foreigners, thus preventing it from growing and flourishing independently. The way we have chosen to approach the problem is to take the skills learned by TEKUA students at the centre and use those to generate an income.

TEKUA stands for five Swahili words: empowerment, education, initiative health and poverty

The educational centre’s curriculum provides lessons in three main subjects: English, ICT and art. While the first two subjects may seem more directly relevant to a young Tanzanian who is aiming to find employment, the study of art has proved just as fundamental to the students. By teaching the students painting and sculpting skills the centre has effectively created a workshop for young artists producing fine and vibrant pieces of art. It is our aim to use the pieces of art as a resource for the centre to fund itself and create a self-sustaining cycle. Practically this amounts to selling students’ artwork here in London where the paintings and sculptures are worth far more than they are in Tanzania. Having been priced by a professional art dealer, the works are worth an average of 60 pounds which, if you do the math, works out to a staggering 170,216.696 Tanzanian Shillings! In a country where the price of a kilo of maize is just 20 p, this is obviously a substantial amount of money. With these profits divided equally between the student artist and the school we could provide a small stipend for the students whilst also supporting the centre.

The educational centre’s curriculum provides lessons in three main subjects: English, ICT and art

Success in our efforts would have a dramatic impact on the future of the centre. Having recently undergone an expansion, TEKUA has now opened a second school where it will give its students vocational training in trades such as sewing and mending clothes. Thus our work in financially supporting the centre is more relevant than ever. To intensify our fundraising efforts we have launched a campaign at Imperial under the slogan “A Pound for Hope”. We are asking you to make what is a seemingly insignificant contribution of a single pound in the hopes of reaching our target which would support the centre financially for an entire year!

It is in our power to determine the direction of progress in Tanzanian society

As university students we are often condemned for being apathetic towards global issues and criticised for taking part in deleterious movements such as the 99% campaign. This is our chance to prove these allegations wrong by stepping up to a challenge that is highly ambitious and needs the attention of the world. It is in our power to determine the direction of progress in Tanzanian society and as citizens of an increasingly globalised world we cannot ignore our responsibility. With this kind of decisive action we will undoubtedly have a dramatic impact on the lives of 92% of young Tanzanians. So if you want become part of our mission come and visit the exhibition to take a stand against a crippling statistic that deserves your time.

The TEKUA Education Centre project presents Tanzania: Art for Knowledge at Chartis UK, 58 Fenchurch St., London, EC3M 4AB, 10:00-16:00 daily until December 17.