ANNUAL REPORT 2016 OPPORTUNITY THROUGH EDUCATION
ABOUT US ASAP is building schools ASAP is building schools and improving the quality of and improving the education for children of quality of education for underserved, rural communities children of underserved, in East Africa. Why? rural communities in East Africa. Why?
Because education, more so than any other sector of development, seeds dramatic improvement in poverty reduction, gender parity, health outcomes, child immunization, AIDS prevention, environmental protection and wildlife conservation. Simply put, widely available public education will lead to a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable future for Africa. Because education, more so than any other sector of development, seeds dramatic improvement in poverty reduction, gender parity, health outcomes, child immunization, AIDS prevention, environmental protection and wildlife conservation. Simply put, widely available public education will lead to a prosperous, peaceful and sustainable future for Africa.
LETTER FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR “Education is the best weapon we have to fight poverty, ignorance and terrorism.” -- Malala Yousafzai, Education advocate, 2013 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dear Friends, The world is a troubled place but I believe the future holds great promise. While humanity faces ever more pressing challenges, more children around the globe are attending school and international rabble rousing for girl’s education is growing every year. Why does this matter so greatly? We already know education reduces poverty, maternal deaths, child marriage and disease. It increases health outcomes and gender equality. But, if Malala is right, and I believe she is, these trends in global education also mean young people will be better prepared to create a more peaceful future for everyone. But despite great progress, millions of children are still denied their right to education. That is why ASAP remains committed to improving access to quality education in rural African communities, particularly for girls. 2016 was our ninth year developing school infrastructure and education programs in Tanzania and I am tremendously proud of our progress. Since 2008, ASAP has: • • • • • •
Partnered with beneficiary communities to build five primary and secondary schools that serve over 2,000 students each year in the Arusha and Mwanza Regions. Launched The Kupanda Project for Girls, a replicable and holistic model for improving girl’s secondary school completion rates in rural communities. Built the beautiful Nathan Yip Dormitory so that 96 girls per year don’t have to walk long distances to secondary school, putting them at risk of attack and early pregnancy. Improved academic performance for students with teacher training, books, computers, curriculum enhancements and school lunch programs. Led over 140 volunteers to Africa, a dedicated and fun-seeking bunch who contribute time and treasure to ensure that Tanzanian children have access to school. Created powerful partnerships with Let Girls Learn, Clinton Global Initiative, Brookings Institute CHARGE for Girls, and Gucci’s Chime For Change.
None of this work would have been possible without you, our loyal supporters and partners. I hope you continue to support our work, volunteer with us in Africa and help spread the word about the importance of education for all. I sincerely believe the best is yet to come, but only if we continue to press for a world in which every child is given the chance to gain knowledge, overcome adversity and is empowered to find his or her own voice. Thank you on behalf of the ASAP Board of Directors and the rest of the ASAP team,
Susan Bachar Executive Director
2016 PROJECTS KUPANDA PROJECT FOR GIRLS IDETEMYA SECONDARY SCHOOL MWANZA REGION, NORTHERN TANZANIA In January 2016, ASAP launched The Kupanda Project for Girls, an initiative aimed at raising secondary school completion rates for girls in rural Tanzania to 80% or higher. It is predicated on a “whole girl” approach because research shows that interventions with a single focus do not solve the overall problem of low success rates for girls in school. Only a comprehensive, integrated approach that addresses all the major challenges faced by adolescent girls will lead to greater overall success. Therefore, the initiative provides safe housing (dormitories); personal support to increase their personal well-being (nutrition, safe water, hygiene, electricity, computers); academic initiatives to improve learning (teacher training, tutoring, curriculum enhancements, textbooks, computer training); leadership training to inspire and empower girls for their full four years of school, and; community engagement aimed at changing perspectives about the importance of girl’s education and building for program sustainability. And, we can proudly say the program is working! Before Kupanda, the girl’s completion rate at Idetemya Secondary hit a low of 4%. By the end of 2016, after only one year in the program, the completion rate for our first class of Kupanda Scholars jumped to 83%! We can’t wait to see what future success rates will be!!
TEACHER HOUSING AND SCHOOL TOILETS IDETEMYA SECONDARY SCHOOL MWANZA REGION, NORTHERN TANZANIA In 2016, ASAP continued developing Idetemya Secondary School with essential upgrades. Our goal, as with all our work, was to partner with the school community to address infrastructure needs that would improve the overall school environment. ASAP built four units of housing for teachers so the school could attract and retain quality teachers (a major challenge for rural schools) and 12 new composting toilets to replace old and decrepit student toilets.
2016 NEWS ASAP SELECTED FOR LET GIRLS LEARN We were SO honored to serve on First Lady Obama's design team to create an initiative that will shift the paradigm on girl's education in East Africa! Led by USAID, Let Girls Learn invests in comprehensive and integrated solutions for enrolling and keeping adolescent girls in school. ASAP is committed to the "whole girl" approach and we were thrilled to participate in this important program that will educate and empower countless girls across the world!
VICE PRESIDENT SAMIA VISITS KUPANDA In November, the entire community of Idetemya was thrilled to host the Vice President of Tanzania at the Kupanda Project for Girls as the location for her national address on the importance of girl’s education and empowerment! It was an exciting day for our Kupanda Scholars, knowing that their program was being held up as a model by V.P. Samia as the “gold standard” for girl’s education in Tanzania!
INAUGURAL CLIMB OF MT. KILIMANJARO In June, 13 amazing climbers made it to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro and raised over $60,000 for ASAP programs! We were also special guests for a day at Mbasseny Primary School, where everyone met the students and experienced first-hand the impact of ASAP's work. It was a wonderful day of singing, dancing and celebrating the incredible performance of this remote school - 100% of students have transitioned to secondary school since it was built!
NEW PARTNER: ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS Engineers Without Borders is partnering with ASAP to design and build new school sanitation systems at ASAP schools in northern Tanzania.
PAST PROJECTS MBASSENY PRIMARY SCHOOL
Mbasseny was the first focus of American volunteers who traveled to Tanzania to build a school in the summer of 2008. The village had a one room schoolhouse in very poor condition. With no glass on the windows and no desks, the children were forced to sit on dirt floors that turned to mud in the rainy season. The roof leaked and teaching conditions were difficult. Still, the children were desperate for an education and many stood outside the building in hopes of someday making it inside the school. Today, after seven years of ASAP project assistance, the Mbaaseny Primary School has eight classrooms with windows, desks, teacher housing, toilets, a kitchen, playing grounds and over 450+ students. For the last four consecutive years 100% of the standard seven class has passed the national exam and matriculated to secondary school.
KIRENGA PRIMARY SCHOOL
Kirenga Primary School was a little one room school only three kilometers from the village of King’ori, the main market town of the district. It was in a similar condition to most Tanzanian community schools—those built by villagers who have an income of less than $1 per day per family. In 2009, ASAP decided the school was extremely worthy of assistance. Over the course of four years, ASAP helped construct a four classroom school building (complete with glass windows, desks and books), then a second building with three more classrooms, a soccer field, a kitchen with a fuel-efficient stove, a toilet building, a rain-water capture system/cistern for clean drinking water and an outdoor classroom with a gazebo (to provide additional learning space when the weather is dry).
MIRIRINI SECONDARY SCHOOL
The Miririni Secondary School is located in the Momela Lakes region of the Leguruki ward. The school’s first two classrooms were built entirely by the Miririni villagers in order to provide their children with a secondary education which was not accessible before 2008. After the village completed the first two classrooms, ASAP stepped in to help the school construct two more in 2009. In 2012 ASAP completed two additional classrooms, giving the school a total of six.
CHOLE PRIMARY SCHOOL
In 2008, the village of Chole was created in a rural community on the banks of Lake Victoria in Northern Tanzania. The community struggled to construct a primary school so their small children were forced to walk several kilometers each day to a neighboring school (creating an overcrowding problem) or to simply stay out of school altogether. In November 2013, ASAP met with community leaders and formed a strong partnership to help build their school. We constructed the school in 2014 and it is now serving 450 children.
PAST PROJECTS NATHAN YIP DORMITORY FOR GIRLS IDETEMYA SECONDARY SCHOOL MWANZA REGION, NORTHERN TANZANIA Girls in rural Tanzanian communities are forced to walk long distances to reach school, putting them at risk of exhaustion and attack/early pregnancy. As awareness rises about the importance of girl’s education, community members and government leaders are increasingly calling for dormitories to provide girls a protected place to live and study. For this reason, ASAP prioritized its first girl’s dormitory and, with tremendous support from The Nathan Yip Foundation of Denver, CO, built this beautiful facility that exceeds local standards. The secure compound houses 96 girls each year (24 girls each from Forms I-IV) and two matrons. Facilities have solar power, clean drinking water and 24-hour security and include two dormitories with bedrooms, common rooms for studying/socializing and computer rooms; bathrooms with toilets, sinks and showers; and kitchen/dining pavilion. Built to honor the life of Nathan Yip from Denver CO, the dorm serves as the hub for The Kupanda Project for Girls.
SCHOOL DORMITORY WATER SYSTEM IDETEMYA SECONDARY SCHOOL MWANZA REGION, NORTHERN TANZANIA With financial support from the Denver SE Rotary Club, ASAP developed an essential water source for the 96 girls living in the Idetemya Secondary School dormitory. As with all of our projects, the well and pump house were surveyed, drilled and constructed in close partnership with local experts and community members.
VOLUNTEERS
“Before we left for Tanzania, the project manager said: ‘Until you get here, you cannot know how significant your contribution is and how deeply it is valued. This is a life-changing experience for the village…’ Each word proved true. It was, and is, significant and deeply-valued, by both the Americans and the Tanzanians. It was life-changing – for us all.” - 2014 ASAP volunteer
Each year, ASAP volunteers venture to Tanzania to help build community schools in rural areas of northern Tanzania. ASAP volunteers work to improve school facilities and come home understanding that Americans and Africans share much in common - love of family, laughter, suffering and resilience. In short, the things that make us human. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all!
FINANCIAL REPORT Sources of Income
Allocation of Funds
Total Income: $331,330
(*not including $24,792 in 2015 grant carried forward)
Programmatic Growth Total Expenditures: $356,133
Audited Financials ASAP has its accounts independently audited. To request a copy of our audited financials, please email us at: Info@AfricaSchoolAssistanceProject.org
MAJOR SUPPORTERS Nathan Yip Foundation Sun Partners International Stone Family Foundation Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation Fulcrum Foundation Records-Johnston Family Foundation Denver SE Rotary Club Laney Family Foundation Dolan Family Fund RCF Foundation
MEMBERSHIPS Posner Center for International Development
MAJOR PARTNERS Engineers Without Borders Femme International Jake Norton Tech For All The Foundation For Tomorrow University of Colorado - Denver Venture Architecture
WHO WE ARE
Board of Directors
Lorez Meinhold, Chair Charles Musiba, Vice-Chair Dave Falicia, Treasurer Erika Hollis, Secretary Pete Boukouzis Ginger Broaddhus Mark Eddy Beth Ganz Denise Goldin-Dubois Alice Madden
Executive Director Susan Bachar
Regional Project Coordinator Jackson Nzemya
Africa Project Director Zach Swett
Kupanda Project Manager Aretha Alicia
CONTACT US
191 UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD #285, DENVER, CO 80206 INFO@AFRICASCHOOLASSISTANCEPROJECT.ORG WWW.AFRICASCHOOLASSISTANCEPROJECT.ORG