This pioneering trip marked our first visit with pupils, and sought to strengthen our links given that our last visit took place before the pandemic. A carefully crafted programme, designed by Mvumi Trust Representative Joy Lusinde, saw our group teaching lessons, visiting the homes of sponsored pupils, attending staff meetings, chapel services and addressing the Mvumi School community. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Mika B and Elisabeth C (both Year 11 pupils) who taught alongside Mr Dyson and Miss James respectively. These Geography and Maths lessons were delivered to classes of 40 pupils or more and gave Mvumi teachers the chance to reflect on their own teaching styles as they observed or taught with us as a team.

We travelled out to see the families of three sponsored pupils during our visit – Anita, George and Kelvin. They all come from farming families and we were able to hold full conversations with families thanks to our Swahili translator! Sitting outside their homes, discussing their children’s education and understanding the impact of the dry season on their crop yield gave us a real insight into their lives. Their warmth, hope and strong faith shone through – there was little reflection on hardship despite living in challenging conditions. Miss James and I were delighted to see Mika and Elisabeth learning Swahili as the week progressed. This was used when staying in the Mvumi Trust staff accommodation as we had the joy of living with the Mvumi Trust Representatives during our visit.

Prior to returning back to the UK, our FHS teachers and students stopped over in Nyerere National Park where they were able to appreciate the impressive biodiversity being protected in this 43k square kilometre national park. Despite seeing elephants, lions, giraffes, hippos, hyenas, water buffalo, wildebeests and much more, the lilac-breasted roller proved to be a real favourite!

We are thrilled to be raising money for Mvumi School at our Senior School Parents’ Association Quiz on Monday 13th November. The group will be giving a short presentation about their visit at this event in the hope that we can raise significant funds for our friends in rural Tanzania.

Mr Dyson, Director of Creative Enterprise