Taking action for Tanzania

I am thrilled to announce that my blog will support literacy and girls’ education in Tanzania. This collaboration with Room to Read was inspired by Michael Matera and the Hive Summit. During this free online conference, participants were encouraged to show their appreciation by supporting Kiva. Without putting any pressure on anyone, Michael and the other presenters have so far raised $US3000! Personally, I was happy to donate because of the high-quality PD that I received and, in a weird way, it was important to me because it was important to Michael. I really wanted to support him and express my appreciation.

This prompted an idea. In the main menu of this site, you should now see a page called ‘Support Room to Read’. This will direct you to my donation page (huge thanks to Annie at Room to Read HK for setting this up for me).

I will never put any pressure on readers and I’ll rarely mention it, but that option will remain there for those who are interested and would like to support. Many full-time bloggers/vloggers make a living through optional donations. These can take many forms. Think of this as one of those “buy me a coffee” icons, whereby readers can show their appreciation by donating just a few dollars. In this case, however, the money will go directly to Room to Read. More specifically, their work in Tanzania.

The philosophy at Room to Read is that world change starts with educated children. As educators, we certainly agree with this and recognise the power of learning. Similarly, Mandela described education as “the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world”. Thankfully, Room to Read is working hard with communities across Asia, Africa and South America. They have two main goals:

1. Improve literacy
2. Keep girls in education

Room to Read is doing wonderful work in many countries. For personal reasons, my blog will specifically support their efforts in Tanzania (a country very close to my heart).

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a long connection with Tanzania. This began in 2005 as part of an exchange programme at college. After finishing college, I returned to the same Tanzanian school and spent a year there as a volunteer teacher. I have many friends there who collectively feel like a second family. Last year, I returned to Tanzania for the first time in ten years and was welcomed back with cheers and open arms (these photos are from that recent visit). Many of my friends and former students now have children of their own and it was a joy to meet them! I can’t wait for my next visit!

I have seen what a beautiful country Tanzania is and, believe me, the people are equally beautiful. But Tanzania is a country with struggles. I desperately want to help and I hope that my readers will support this initiative. On the donation page, you can read more about the issues in Tanzania and how Room to Read is addressing them.

Incidentally, this week marked three years since the agreement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As we continue to promote these in school, I hope to model action. My action will contribute towards two goals in particular: Quality Education (4) and Gender Equality (5).

It costs Room to Read approximately US$50 to teach a child to read and write. I have, therefore, set an ambitious target of US$500. This would change the lives of ten underprivileged children in Tanzania by providing the gift of literacy and setting them on the path of educational success. If you can spare a dollar or two, please take a minute to donate. My blog currently attracts around ten thousand passionate teachers per month. If 1% of you give just a dollar each, this blog would generate $100 every month for Room to Read. That would be amazing! Remember, that’s based on just 1% giving $1. Together, we have an opportunity to make a real difference! If you appreciate the content on my blog, please consider a small donation of $1 (or more if you can). It will only take a minute.

To support literacy and girls’ education in Tanzania, click here to visit my donation page. I promise to keep donors up to date on how their money has been utilised. Your generosity is massively appreciated! Thank you.

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