Our Unforgettable Adventure at Tumaini Primary School, at the Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need Project

By Richard Clarke

 

In July 2025, my family and I set off to Tanzania to volunteer at Tumaini School – the name of the primary school of the Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need school project. We didn’t realise it would become one of the most unforgettable experiences of our lives.

Meet the family

There are four of us: Ros (Mum), Richard (Dad), Elena (17), and Lisette (15).

For Ros, Elena and Lisette, it was their first time in Africa, and Tumaini was one of our first stops. We arrived excited, a little nervous (especially the girls) and with the usual questions running through our heads: What will we be doing? Will we fit in? Will we know what to do?

Our worries disappeared almost instantly.

A welcome we’ll never forget

From the moment we arrived, we felt instantly welcomed. The teachers, students, and admin team embraced us like family. On our first day, the team picked us up from our hostel and brought us to the school. We met the founder, Anna, and spent time with the teachers as they walked us through the classrooms and routines and showed us how they taught lessons. 

First impressions were eye-opening. The school buildings are relatively new and all the students run around in pristine uniforms with big smiles on their faces. But the reality inside the classrooms is tough: limited resources, huge class sizes, and teachers working miracles every day.

From “helping out” to teaching full-time

We arrived assuming we’d be teaching assistants. But, due to staff shortages, by day two, Ros and I (both qualified teachers) were teaching lessons alone in English and Science for upper primary students. Meanwhile, Elena and Lisette threw themselves into the nursery, helping with activities, playing games, and giving the younger children the kind of attention that makes school feel safe and fun. By day three, it genuinely felt like we’d been there for months. Not just because we’d settled in… but because everyone had embraced us like family.

A school that thrives against the odds

Tumaini Primary School of the Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need Project serves over 900 students, with class sizes typically between 40 and 70. Resources are stretched. There aren’t enough textbooks for each child, and computer science is taught using only a blackboard.

Yet, every class is full of life. The teachers are endlessly resourceful, and the students are hungry to learn. By the time they finish primary school, many of them speak remarkably strong English.

Over our two weeks, we taught English, Maths, Science and even first aid across different year groups, whatever was needed most.

The sports day that brought the whole school together

On our final Friday, we were invited to organise a sports day for 400 students. They asked us to teach them some “British games” It was chaos. Trying to coordinate an entire school with a rope, two footballs and one goal was … tricky. We rolled out the classic games; British Bulldogs, What’s the time Mr Wolf? Marco Polo but having up to 200 primary kids on one half football pitch was a challenge. 

I don’t think we’ll ever forget that afternoon. 

Teaching the teachers

Teaching in Tanzania is very different from Europe and the school was eager to learn from our experiences. On our final day, we were invited to run a session for the teachers on AI in education and practical ways to engage students with different abilities and learning needs. The teachers were amazing, they really embraced the new ideas.

The day that stayed with us most

On our penultimate day, Ros and I joined the charity’s social worker on home visits to meet families of some of the most disadvantaged students. That day was heartbreaking.

Hearing the stories behind some of the children we’d been teaching gave us a deeper understanding of what Tumaini Primary and the KYGN Project is really doing, not just educating children, but changing the trajectory of their lives.

The change the charity is making to the kids of Mabogini is inspirational.

When we arrived in Tanzania we’d hoped we’d be able to help a little and maybe show our daughters how different life is in different parts of the world. We never thought we’d leave feeling like we’d received far more than we’d given. There is so much love in the school it is difficult to describe.

Tumaini Primary isn’t just a school. It’s a community. And once you’ve been welcomed into it, it stays with you. We left with full hearts… and a promise to return.