Public schools in Tanzania have been free for primary- and secondary-school students, and their families, since 2016. In a country where half the population exists below the international poverty line, that’s an important step towards ensuring an educated populace with the skills to be productive, successful adults.
It also means that the people designing and operating the public school system are crucial to making it all function.
Domila Plasid, a teacher at Jude Secondary School in Tanzania’s capital city, Dar-es-Salaam, is studying for an advanced degree in School Quality Assurance because it will give her the opportunity to impact the lives of future generations of Tanzanian citizens.
Domila is enrolled at ADEM College in Bagamoyo, about 90 minutes’ drive north of Dar-es-Salaam, where she is part of a one-of-its-kind program in school expertise. And after a successful first semester of her 2021-22 school year, she has been awarded one of 24 full scholarships, covering tuition and other school costs, from the Embrace Relief Foundation.
Embrace Relief’s R.I.S.E. (Reach. Inspire. Support. Educate.) scholarship program at the ADEM School is designed to empower women in Tanzania, who remain under-represented in leadership positions in many fields. For women like Domila who are pursuing careers in education, Embrace Relief’s support can make the difference between being able to afford an education and not.
“My hope is to become a school quality assurance officer, who can help the government in my country to produce a good, educated people,” Domila says. “I want to thank God, because he has helped me to struggle, and to work hard, in order to get this scholarship. And I want to say thank you so much to Embrace Relief for this support.”
Once she completes her courses, Domila will have the qualifications to pursue a path in the Tanzanian national school system, and the insight necessary to develop and adjust the curriculum of Tanzania’s public schools.
In addition to serving the next generation through her work in the school system, Domila can also be a trailblazer and a role model for girls in Tanzania. Her success in breaking into the male-dominated leadership of Tanzania’s school system can open doors for the young girls and women who follow.
“Our graduates, these 24 ladies, will be our ambassadors in different regions of Tanzania,” says Mohamed Kitendo, Charity Department Coordinator at Ishik Medical and Education Foundation Tanzania, and an Embrace Relief partner. “Because one part of this program is we want our graduates to give back to society after they graduate. And it will be easy for them to give back to support, because they’ll have been supported. Embrace Relief came out and supported us, and so we are [developing] people who will be there to help others. This is the goodness of this project.”
With the support of our donors, Embrace Relief aims to provide annual scholarships to more and more women in Tanzania as part of our R.I.S.E. women’s empowerment program. This first class of students – Domila’s class – is only the beginning of what we hope will be a long, successful partnership.
“We need this program to continue,” Domila says. “We need to get more knowledge. I’m hopeful I can continue on after my studies, and after finishing my diploma. [With this scholarship], Embrace Relief is pushing me to continue and gain more knowledge.”
