A new Christian school for girls has opened in Tarime, a town close to the Kenyan border in the far northwest of Tanzania. The local Anglican Bishop, Mwita Akiri, visited Australia last year and shared what was needed to finish the school.
“Praise God that Australian Christians responded and gave $234,260,” Anglican Aid reports. The buildings are now ready, and the school has welcomed its first cohort of 14- and 15-year-old girls for the 2025 academic year.”
The girls will stay in the school for 4 years, finishing at about 18. Their four years roughly equates to years 7-10 in Australia. In Tanzania, “secondary school” is years 7-10, and “high school” is years 11-12. It is common for students to start “secondary school” when they are older than in Australia.
Empowering women is a priority for the churches in Tanzania. Cameron Jansen, Head of Aid & Development at Anglican Aid, explained the reason to The Other Cheek. “God made both men and women in his image; they are of equal value and precious in his sight. The Gospels demonstrate this so clearly; dignity, love and respect consistently characterise Jesus’ treatment of women and girls.
“All over the world, however, societies show a systemic bias against women and girls. Globally, girls’ completion of primary and high school is still far below that of boys. Millions of girls are forced into underage marriages each year. And the harmful practice of female genital mutilation is still widespread in many places.
“I am overjoyed that Anglican Aid can partner with the Anglican Diocese of Tarime as it works to address these issues. Tarime Girls Secondary School will play an important role in reducing child marriage and FGM in north-west Tanzania; transforming the lives of hundreds of girls. We give thanks to God for our generous supporters who have enabled the building of this school!”
Bishop Mwita says that the effects of educating girls at Tarime will be felt beyond the school and into the future. “Education creates champions of change. If you train people, you educate them well, they know Jesus Christ,” said Bishop Mwita. “They then go to become messengers of the good news of Jesus Christ, people who can live their lives to the full, knowing Jesus Christ but also influencing others in society . . . Just imagine unleashing 800 girls into the community after some years to go and become agents of change.”
Image: Girls at the Tarime Girls Secondary School. Image Credit: Anglican Aid