Our School
A simple camp-fire conversation between a Tanzanian guide and a Russian-American tourist about a dream for Midawe children to have access to English-language education and a dream to make a tangible contribution to the world became a reality. Jointly established in 2011, Masha Skuratovskaya and Gasper Mbise endeavored to secure the best start in life for the children on Meru's southern slope.
We took a multi-phase approach to build and establishing the Ikirwa School, starting with Baby classes and organically growing the school into a single-stream primary education program for up to 300 students. Since 2012 our enrollment has grown to nearly 200 students, from Baby to class 7. Nearly half of students are sponsored by the school or individual donors. Our dormitory houses 40 children. Ikirwa School students receive 3 nutritious meals a day, have access to clean running water and are able to spend their time surrounded by the beautiful Mt. Meru foothills..
Our school is operated by a Tanzanian entity, Ikirwa School Trust, which is the recipient of any funds raised by the Ikirwa School Project which is a US-based 501 (c) 3 non-profit.
Our Vision
Our school's vision is to build a small school that makes a difference and stands on its own without depending on outside donors for day to day operations. We inted to grow organically and pragmatically, building a track record and using our success to attract donor funds for capital improvements.
Ikirwa School provides the option of English language instruction to the children of Midawe and nearby villages. We leverage resources offered by many volunteer organizations and NGOs in both providing instruction and education materials to offer world-class quality academic instruction to the children and career development opportunities for the teachers.
Our goal is to ensure that all students score in the top quartile of the TOEFL test upon graduation and the Tanzanian instructors within 2 years of joining the staff.