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The Wentworth Africa Foundation believes that education is paramount in creating empowered communities, and there exists a great need for better education in the Mtwara and Lindi region of Tanzania.
Tanzanian students attend primary school from age seven to 13, which is paid by the government; however, once a student reaches age 14 the government no longer covers the cost of education. Coupled with extreme poverty in the area, only nine per cent of  students attend secondary school.
For those who have access to secondary school in the region, the dropout rate is 20 per cent or more, often due to long commutes each day. Dropout rates are particularly high among Mtwara females, where more than 400 girls dropped out in 2006. Girls leave school for a variety of reasons including pregnancy, teenage marriage and child labour.
The Wentworth Africa Foundation is determined to help alleviate this problem by building (or reconstructing) one secondary school in Mtwara every year for the next five years. Each project will vary depending on the needs of the school but will include (but not limited to) classrooms, girls’ dormitories, uniforms and school supplies.
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