Maasai Girls Rescue Center recently donated 30 wooden desks to the local primary school our girls will attend when we move to our permanent site at the ecoVillage.

We know that accommodating 50-plus new students has a big impact on local schools. We want to ease the transition by helping the school get ready for our kids. In the meantime, the desks will get plenty of good use.  

The presentation of the desks – inscribed with the MGRC name – was honored at a ceremonial gathering with local officials including the District Executive of Karatu, Ward Chairman of Gongali Ward and Village Chairman of Gongali village. They gave speeches and presented us with gifts, including a goat! This is the Tanzanian way of expressing gratitude.

Schools in Karatu typically have as many as 80 up to 150 students in a grade level or class. The total school enrollment can be around 1,000. 

These desks were made by a local wood craftsman paid by our center. We like to do business locally to support the community.

The MGRC girls will move from their current school Ganako Primary to the Gongali Primary upon the completion of the ecoVillage, sometime over the next year or so. We’re all looking forward to the big day! Work on the ecoFarm already is underway. Next comes building construction, including a cluster of family homes for the girls and house moms. A fundraising campaign is ongoing – learn more about the MGRC ecoVillage.