FranznTanz!: 28 October...Hongera! Financial support and some of it's uses; Lifeskills and Fitness focus @ SEGA

The awesome trio: Margaret, Me and Liesbeth.

Kigali Peace Marathon Halfers!

I am sooooo happy to announce that the money:

3 MILLION, 7 HUNDRED AND 20 THOUSAND TANZANIAN SHILLINGS

(AUD $2,480)

.....which many of you my dear friends and family, gave in support of my run in The Kigali Peace Marathon earlier this year, has finally been transferred into the SEGA account. For this I am very proud and relieved.

The amount raised....given so generously by you....was certainly recognised by CSO/VSO as reflected in the special notice of thanks given offically by Jean Van Wetter, Country Director VSO Tz: May, 2012.

"Thanks to CUSO/VSO Kigali Peace Marathon runners/fundraisers:

We all together raised almost 7500 Canadian dollars to support women economic empowerment via this marathon. ….. I would like to thank all those who participated to the marathon. Special thanks to Ishwar, Liesbeth and Minah for organizing it and motivating the troops. Special thanks as well to VSO Rwanda team for hosting us.

Last but not least, congratulations to Fran for raising almost half of the funding we received! ….”

Needless to say we, here at SEGA, understand how important your support is in sponsoring and giving generously to our fundraising events. Our beautiful Girls are able to blossom here at SEGA because of your generosity and selflessness. Extraordinary fundraising efforts take time, energy and commitment to make them happen but I know how important these funds are as I have lived amongst, and experienced the results, of the impact. However, these events are only financially successful if your support is forthcoming.

So.....

ASANTE SANA SANA SANA!

THANK YOU VERY VERY VERY MUCH!

The Kigali money means that the sport field will be completed, equipment can be purchased and our Fitness/Sports program can blossom!!! Originally I focused on raising funds to support the Water Harvesting project. The plans have been drawn up and progress on its implementation is about to start, hopefully completed in time for the wet season so we can quickly harvest 1000's of litres of fresh rain water!

Our immediate need to find funds to progress with the sport field and associated costs, was real. My love of running, sport and maintaining healthy levels of fitness, together with Clementina's desire to improve the health and fitness of our students and consequently establish a culture of sport, has enabled me to inspire the sport program to gain momentum. It was deemed appropriate that my Kigali money be directed into SEGA's Sport and Fitness program!

Timetabled Friday afternoon sport is becoming more organised. Today we gave all students the opportunity to sign up for one of the three sports:

Football (soccer)
Netball
Volleyball

They had to choose which one they were most passionate about and commit to training, developing their skills and participating in regular competitions between their teams. Four staff members have also allocated themselves to a team and will attend Friday afternoon sessions. I'm sure we will see a great deal of sharing skills. Some of our girls are very agile and skilled already. They are well practiced from hours of playing street footy/netball and ball games in their home environments (often with a homemade ball made from scraps of plastic bags!). Our vision is to extend these competitions to include inter school competitions.

Sylvanus Maguba (Sports Coordinator), Hamad Masoud (Friday MIS sport liaison teacher) and student leaders informing the student body of the expectations and changes occurring in the Friday sport program

Student leaders recording team members.

Teams being sorted

"Okay....we are ready....Let's get started playing!"

Tchalewa, Morogoro International School Sports teacher who gives his time weekly to train our girls, has been consulted and is planning to attend our sport sessions at SEGA every Friday evening to support our staff team leaders and encourage correct skill development in each sport discipline.

He will also help us coordinate interschool/regional sport competitions. We have purchased some footballs, volleyballs and netballs to get us started and the sport Coordinators are determining/procuring the resources needed to ensure quality training and competitions occur!
This is an exciting development and Friday Sport has taken on a positive, competitive energy! Hongera!

Staff/Student football match held to celebrate the departure of our 4 young volunteers.

It was an extremely competitive game .... the student team was as skillful as the staff team but of course they had youth, fitness and agility on their side!

The legendary Staff team (and one sneaky student...can you see her??)

....Masai,volunteers, visitors, Mama mpishi (Violet our cook) ..... everyone joined in!

As you can see...we were ALL winners....we had SOOO much fun!

a football training session.

Netball....staff/visitors vs. students.

"Oh no....not another accurate goal by the students!

....soooo much fun!!

When I went home to Australia last Christmas holidays, Many caring, interested people gave me monetary donations to support SEGA.

Some of the things purchased with this money are the English/Swahili dictionaries used and appreciated daily by all students and hard covered note book we have helped them convert into word books.

When ESL specialist teacher, Wendy Painting (VSO vol who worked in Zanzibar and has now returned to teach her Grade 4's in Canada) spent time at SEGA, she introduced the word books as a personal tool for the girls to create and build up as they learn new English words and subject specific terminology/phrases etc. Asante sana tena Wendy for your guidance and inspiration to all those you worked with whilst you were at SEGA. You are remembered often by all of us with tenderness and affection .

Wendy also worked diligently to help SEGA produce the Pre Formal Intensive English/Maths program which we are currently using.

Our newest girls in the Pre Formal class who are engaged in our intensive English/Maths program, were recently given a tutorial by Kennedy on: how to set up their word books; guidance on how and when to use them and encouragement to create their own individual dictionary/thesaurus as they learn new English words/terminology and phrases. A keepsake for life!