Image Secondary School

Doug is at work this weekend so I'll add a couple entries of my own although I don't know if I can keep up with Doug's pace, wit and writing style.

One of the highlights for me during our time in Iringa was our afternoon visits was to Image (pronounced I-mah-gee) Secondary School.  I'd say it was near the town of Ilula but I think that's a stretch as we drove for at least 45 minutes on a narrow dirt route from Ilula (which is 45 minutes by 'tarmac road' from Iringa) before arriving at the school. 


As usual, we were greeted with beautiful singing which evolved into dancing.  Most of the 800 students who live at and attend school at Image where waiting for us as we arrived.  Notice they are wearing pullover sweaters while we are sweating in short-sleeves.  In every social situation in Tanzania, there was a chance that we were going to be pulled up in front to dance.  Here is our traveling mate Mary The Baptist dancing with the headmaster.  

Image Secondary School is a dream come true for many people. It was established in 2004 by Headmaster Ngogo with just a handful of students and even fewer teachers.  It was sort like Field of Dreams: "Build it and they will come".    

There is no such thing as a free public education in Tanzania so the opportunity to attend school is cherished by students and their families who work hard to provide the funds for them to attend.  It costs less than $400 per year including room and board for a student to attend Image.  It seemed like so little to us but when we remember that the average family subsists on $1 per day, it is an incredible amount of money.  In addition to family contributions, many students receive scholarships through the ELCT partnerships.  Image is an interesting partnership between church and government.  The school is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania but the land was donated by the local government.  

It was fun to bring the school supplies donated by friends, family, colleagues and students.  I was also happy to relieve myself of hauling around this 35 pound bag of pencils, pens, calculators, rulers and other school necessities in the blazing sun.  I enjoyed swapping "teacher stories" with a few staff members and we discovered that students everywhere are the same.     

Here is Headmaster Ngogo posing in his "office" from the early days at Image.  Yes - it is a small desk under a tree and he keeps it there as a reminder of the school's roots..  In less than 10 years, the school has grown to over 800 students in Forms 1-6 (roughly 8th through 12th grade).  

We toured many of the buildings on the campus.  They have a computer lab with about 6 computers run by solar power.  We take internet access for granted here but this tiny lab is big deal! 

The picture at the head of this entry is one of my favorites and serves as a great reminder.  During the welcome ceremony, Mr. Ngogo said:

When I see the mountains, I see God.

When I see these children, I see God.

When I see you, I see God.

   

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