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PROJECT OVERVIEW
Epic Change’s first project is to rebuild and expand Shepherds Junior, a small pre- and primary school located in Arusha, Tanzania. Mama Lucy Kamptoni, a savvy and passionate local woman, founded the school in 2003 on land she rented land next door to her home using the income from her poultry business. Since then, the school has grown from 6 students to 200+ children, ages 2-13.
The school is entirely English medium, but includes courses in Swahili, the country’s primary language, and has clubs that celebrate the vibrant culture and history of Tanzania. The primary goal of the school is to ensure that all children in the Kimandolu area are provided access to a high quality education at an affordable price. (Current tuition equates to less than 30% of the cost of private schools of similar quality within the area.) The school charges nominal tuition to most students, and uses its income to subsidize the costs of orphans and lower income children who attend the school.
In July of 2007, Mama Lucy was informed that the site which she was renting for the school was sold to a hotel developer who would begin construction of a new hotel in early 2008. Epic Change is working with Mama Lucy to rebuild and expand Shepherds Junior in a new location. Expansion plans for the school include a computer lab, library, cafeteria, playground, classrooms to accommodate grades 1 through 7, restrooms with flushable toilets and the installation of solar panels for power. It’s estimated that the new school will cost $250,000 to build, and will take 3-5 years for construction and loan payback.
To date, Epic Change has provided loans totaling $35,000 to the school since December 2007. Using the funds from those loans, the school was able to purchase an acre of land and complete construction of four new classrooms in less than 100 days. Students started classes at the new location on March 3, 2008.
Nearly $2,000 has been paid back through funds the students raised in a local performance and in an auction the school held in the community. As our initial payback projects, we have started on the creation of a greeting card line that includes pictures of the children as well as a post card line that includes photos by the children. We expect to bring these products to market this year, and we're working on a few additional ideas we hope to bring to market in the near future. |
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