Scolastica

Scolastica is a non-profit organization providing scholarships, school supplies, and medical care to academically gifted girls in Tanzania. Asante sana!

Scolastica began in September 2013 after its founder met three incredible girls while working in Tanzania named Rabia, Rahma and Scolastica. They were at the top of their class in the last year of primary school but weren't going to be able to attend high school due to their families not having money for school fees. The initial idea was to send an email to friends/family and see if enough funds could be raised to send them to school. Then a friend, Kelly Kirk, offered to create a website and set up a paypal link for donations. We wanted the money to go into a business account, so had to register as a business, which required assembling a board of directors... and next thing we knew we started an organization! Scolastica, Rabia and Rahma are now attending Star High School in their first year. It's in the top 50 high schools in the country. Donations were so generous that we were able to sponsor a fourth girl, Nureen, who the founder met on a bus and was blown away with her intelligence. Nureen wants to be a heart surgeon and is now in her second year at Kandoto Girls Science High School, one of the best science schools in Tanzania. This year there are two girls, Maryam and Lillian, that we'd love to help depending on funds. Lillian is sweet and smart with perfect English and wants to be the second female pilot in Tanzania. Maryam is brilliant, has had an incredibly difficult life, and wants to be a lawyer to help other girls and women having difficulties. There's a video on our website in which she tells her life story and is so compelling. We have 3 main board members (Gwyneth Hesser, Jessica Le, and Lauren Teichner) and an advisory board composed of eight dedicated members (Chai Park, Jeremy Steckel, Meggie Sramek, Michael Jenkins, Zeenat Iqbal, Solomon Shinerock, Monique Tuyisenge Onyegbula, and Dayna Antonio). Our plan is to help as many girls as we can, depending on how much we're able to raise. We recently received 501c3 status as a non-profit organization so all donations are tax deductible! Please visit our website (www.scolastica.org) to see videos of Nureen, Maryam and Rahma, photos and backgrounds of the girls, and ways to help either through donations, hosting a fun event, or volunteering. ("Thank you very much" in Swahili!)

12/22/2021

Zainab has graduated with her bachelor’s degree in accounting! Next up, her CPA. So very proud of you, Zai!! 💕

11/06/2021

12/03/2019

Happy Thanksgiving! We are especially thankful for YOU. Without your support these amazing girls would not be able to receive an education. Please watch this wonderful video to hear directly from the girls we support.

11/20/2018

Zainab's graduation! Congratulations!!! 🎉
So proud of your accomplishments and how much you've been able to achieve and overcome. Now off to Dar for university!!

12/05/2017

Day 2: Sokko kuu main market to get school trunks, padlocks, and school shoes. (From L to R: Rahma, Lilian, Maryam, Rabia, Scolastica, Zainab, Nureen - and Beatrice is at University in Uganda taking exams).

11/28/2017

Day 1 in Arusha: Starting the back to school shopping. Went to 3 shops and bought out their entire supply of soaps, deodorants, and maxi pads - and still need lots more to have enough for 8 girls for the entire 2018 school year. We also provide toothpaste and toothbrushes, soap and powder for washing clothes (they have to wash everything by hand), toilet paper, school uniforms, textbooks, school supplies, medical care, and school tuition. For many families things like toilet paper, deodorant, and sanitary pads are a luxury - but are necessary things for a girl to have at school.

Jeremy Steckel Michael James Jenkins Jessica Le Monique Tuyisenge-Onyegbula

12/20/2015

Day 11: Lilian needed some remaining school items so we met at the market with the aunt that is taking care of her, known affectionately as Mama Dorcas. Lilian opened a package from a sponsor who is a pilot (what Lilian wants to become) and it included a card from her airline and a wings pin (which she loved)! We also got to Skype with another pilot sponsor, Jon, who gave Lilian some advice and words of wisdom about becoming a pilot. Lilian really loved it - was a great day!

12/18/2015

Day 10: Scolastica, Rahma, and Rabia arrive at Henry Gogarty Secondary School to take a 5 day long exam for transfer students hoping to attend. Later that day, we met a man on the street asking for money to buy pain medicine with a scarf covering his hand. When he unravelled it, it was so swollen and clearly infected we thought his hand might need to be amputated. We took him to the nearby local hospital where the only word to describe Tanzanian's health care system: horrific. We are SO VERY HAPPY to support Scolastica, Rahma, and Nureen (who wants to be a heart surgeon) to fulfill their dream of becoming doctors and contribute to improving their country and helping others live!!

12/17/2015

Day 9: Visit to the Arusha Institute of Accounting with Beatrice - who is in her final year of high school and hopes to attend next year to earn her bachelor's degree in accounting. I first met Beatrice in early 2013. She has faced many struggles in her life including the death of her father, having a child and losing her school sponsorship. Despite this, Beatrice is determined to achieve her goal of becoming an accountant - and we are thrilled to help her provide a better life for herself, her mother and younger siblings, and her daughter, Angel.

12/16/2015

Day 8: torrential downpours!!

12/15/2015

Day 7: Buying a year's worth of toiletries for 7 girls. We had several carts overflowing with toilet paper, deodorant, toothpaste, and sanitary pads. Since these are luxury items for many poor families, but not for the other girls attending school, we provide these and other items. Then divided these and school supplies into bags and boxes for each girl.

Address

12 Boothby Drive
Mount Laurel, NJ
08054

Website

http://www.scolastica.org/

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