CJTF-HOA and Tanzanian government re-open Ziwani school

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Jesse Awalt | Petty Officer 2nd Class Kelly Ontiveros, a mass communications specialist, films a crowd of children during a dedication ceremony at Ziwani Primary School. Service members from the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, headquartered in Djibouti, in conjunction with the government of Tanzania and the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salam, dedicated improved facilities, funded by CJTF-HOA. The $178,000 renovation included the rehabilitation of seven primary classrooms and a nursery school classroom.  

ZIWANI VILLAGE, TANZANIA

06.10.2009

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jesse Awalt 

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa

ZIWANI VILLAGE, Tanzania - Representatives and service members from the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, in conjunction with the government of Tanzania and the U.S. Embassy here, held a dedication ceremony Wednesday to officially re-open the Ziwani Primary School.

Hundreds of students, parents, teachers and locals from Ziwani Village attended the ceremony to celebrate the $178,000 in improvements to seven primary school classrooms and a nursery school classroom.

The ceremony included performances of song, dance and poems in thanks for the improvements the school received. The renovation project was funded by CJTF-HOA, and also included rehabilitation of the teachers'
bathroom.

More than 500 students from the Ziwani Village will benefit from the refurbished school, according to printed materials provided at the dedication. The school, which teaches geography, general science, math, history, civics, Kiswahali, English and general recreation year-round, also prepares both boys and girls for secondary school.

"It's a joint project between the United States government and the government of Tanzania," said U.S. Navy Capt. Mark Sparling, a guest speaker from CJTF-HOA. "The United States provided the funding for the work, and Tanzanians provided the labor to make the work happen."

"We believe that the improvements will help them focus on the learning process instead of having concerns with the facilities which they are in. And so, we believe that this will help them to facilitate learning, which will contribute to a more stable and prosperous Tanzania."

Tuli Mushingi, Ph.D., Charge d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Dar Es Salam, reflected on the event's relation to his own life.

"Before moving to the U.S., I was born in Africa. So it's nice to see us Americans contributing to the education of these Tanzanians," said Mashingi. "It is nice to see that we have done something, although it is small; for the village. It is a very big project."

Author's note: CJTF-HOA, which is headquartered in Djibouti, works hand-in-hand with local government officials to help communities in 13 countries throughout the Horn of Africa. The mission of the task force is one of promoting regional stability through defense, diplomacy and development; a 3-D concept intended to counter violent extremism through increased stability.

• Date Taken: 06.10.2009
• Date Posted: 06.17.2009 08:14
• Story ID: 35215
• Location: ZIWANI VILLAGE, TZ