LUCAS MHINA PRIMARY SCHOOL

The Losirwa school, one of our first schools to support, is now overcrowded with more than 1000 students.  The Tanzanian government bought 17 acres and asked Friends of Meali to build a school.  We will do so with the help of our wonderful supporters and name the school the Lucas  Mhina Primary School after Lucas our Tanzanian Director, a man with vision and compassion, who has worked tirelessly and selflessly to make all that Friends of Meali accomplish happen.

 

The Lucas  Mhina Primary School, K-7, will be built near the Losirwa school.  It is the first school that we have built from the ground up. We have built all the components of a school at our other three schools and are using this experience to design a school from scratch.  The estimated cost is $500,000, of which we have raised over 75% before starting. 

 

Groundbreaking was Nov. 29. Construction will begin in Jan 2023  Students will occupy the school in the summer of 2023. Watch this page for construction progress.

 

WATER WELL

We have completed the water well that will be used by the local community as well as the school.  This is thanks to a contingent of people from California that worked hard to raise the money.  The workers reached water at 300 feet and installed a water pump and a solar panel.  Now that there is water the villagers are also able to supply water for their animals. At night they refill the trough so that wild animals can find water and are not destroying everything in site. This frees up the villagers, including children, so that they can spend less time tending animals and more time with schoolwork. 

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GROUND BREAKING 

Building has started in earnest.  The villagers have collected all the rocks for the foundations and they are being built, the workers have moved to the site, supplies have been moved to the site, a cook has set up a kitchen, a watchman has been employed to guard the site and supplies, and we are off to an amazing start.  Watch the video from Lucas.