In today’s world, technology plays a crucial role in our daily lives. From smartphones to laptops, from social media to e-commerce, technology has transformed the way we live, work, and communicate. As technology continues to evolve, it has become increasingly important for children to learn and understand the principles of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Unfortunately, underprivileged children often lack access to quality education, let alone the latest technology. This lack of access to quality education and technology can lead to a widening gap between the rich and the poor, with underprivileged children being left behind. In Tanzania, the problem of underprivileged children lacking access to quality education and technology is particularly acute in rural areas.

According to the World Bank, Tanzania has made significant progress in improving access to education, with primary enrollment increasing by more than 2.5 million since 2013. However, there are still significant challenges in ensuring that all children have access to quality education. An estimated 2 million children between the ages of 7 and 13 years are out-of-school, and almost 70% of children aged 14–17 years are not enrolled in secondary education, with only 3.2% enrolled in the final two years of schooling. Moreover, equity and quality pose major challenges, with disparities in education rates between urban and rural areas. Rural communities often lack the resources to operate secondary schools, resulting in limited opportunities for students to continue their education beyond primary school. The barriers to education in rural areas include higher teacher shortages and dangerous or long journeys to school.

To address this issue, Upendo Kwanza Inc has partnered with Silabu, a leading social tutoring network in Africa that aims to reduce the cost of learning and address the shortage of teachers in Africa, to launch a Kilimanjaro Climbing event.

We aim to raise at least $300,000 from this event to provide 300 students with demonstrated financial needs attending various secondary schools in rural Tanzania with access to high-quality educational resources for a period of three years.

By the end of the first 3 years, we aim to offer a total of 129,600 hours of high-impact tutoring to 300 children, offered in terms of four one-hour tutoring sessions every week, which adds up to a total of 16 hours of tutoring per month. Moreover, the program will offer necessary educational resources such as paying for school expenses, providing school supplies, distributing computers, and setting up Wi-Fi hotspots at the school.

The beneficiary of this project will primarily be children with demonstrated economic needs attending secondary schools located in rural Tanzania.