The MaaSae Girls Lutheran Secondary School,
Monduli, Arusha, Tanzania
The name MaaSae Girls Lutheran Secondary School comes partially from an acronym. Maa is the language of the Maasai tribe...S is for Speakers; A for Advanced and E for Education...MaaSae
The School is located on the outskirts of a Monduli, Tanzania, a village about 45 kilometers from Arusha. It is a project of The Diocese in Arusha Region of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania. The school opened in 1995 with its' first class of Pre Form One students. It is a boarding school and students come from surrounding villages in the region which are often located in distant isolated areas. The students depend on sponsorship to pay for their education. Each year a class of around 45 students enter the school. At the end of form IV (equivalent to grade 10) students sit national exams. Some students then continue their education further into Forms V and VI.
An old African expression which directly applies to the Maasai
"Educate our women and they will educate the entire village"
Why a school for women?Traditionally the Maasai girls received at the most a very basic elementary education. They are usually married by the age of 15 and are expected to build a home, care for children. milk cows and fetch firewood and water. The girls have only the remotest chance to better themselves. Following many years of persuasion and negotiations with the elders of the Maasai tribe it was finally possible that some Maasai Girls would be able to go to secondary school.
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Life at the Engang |
Life at school |
The School Criteria:Educate Maasai women or those from nomadic tribesThe target population of the school is the Maasai pastoralists who have no means or desire to have their daughters educated, often not recognizing the value of education for their daughters or the resulting benefits for the community. |
The goal of the schoolTo empower women to make informed choices for themselves and their future children and to further the tribes' development.The school has been created
out of a need expressed by the Maasai themselves, to enable their
tribe to maintain their strong traditions while adapting to the rapidly
changing world
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School SiteThe design of the school follows that of a traditional Maasai settlement or engang, The chapel is built in the centre and is surrounded by two circles of buildings. In the inner circle are the dormitories, classrooms, kitchen and dining room. In the outer circle are laboratories, library and administration building. The school aims to work towards self sufficiency and independence. Land around the school is used to provide yields of corn, wheat and beans. The school is located on a coffee plantation and it is hoped that the yields from the coffee will eventually contribute to support the school.
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The entrance to the school with the chapel in the centre. |
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The classrooms in the inner circle |
Inside the dormitories |
The dormitories |
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The canteen |
The library |
The sports field |
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