Our fifth school – Idigima Secondary School – came about as the result of the Academic Officer in the District of Mufindi where our first two schools were built, asking us if we would be willing to travel to the region of Mbeya and to talk with people from his home village. The school that those parents built is currently our largest school – with just over 800 students – and has spawned projects in three other nearby villages.

Idigima is located in the village of Idiwili, in the Mbozi district, not far from the Zambian border. Students, along with the parents from Idiwili and five other neighboring villages, have worked to make bricks haul foundation stones, and carry sand and water to build 12 classrooms, 5 teacher houses, and a huge multi-purpose building containing offices, a science lab, a library, and an assembly hall. Students have the project of building an additional 6 classrooms before the end of this year.

Our first graduating class from Idigima will take their national examinations in October. Many of these graduates are already planning to spend four months after their graduation serving in one of our VST schools – either teaching English in our Intensive English program for those who have just finished primary school – or at working with the community to build additional classrooms. This will be good additional training for those who participate in this internship program, as well as being a tangible way for them to serve somewhere outside of their home village in order to help others.