A GROUP of students have helped to make a difference at an African school.

The students from Ellesmere College were involved in English teaching, tree planting, classroom painting and gained first-hand knowledge of the difficulties experienced in the day-to-day lives of people in Tanzania.

The two-week trip was part of the Monduli Green project, set up by Cathy Allen, an English as an additional language teacher at Ellesmere College, 10 years ago to work with schools and communities in Tanzania with the aim of improving facilities and the environment for children.

Cathy said: “This is a really worthy charity and one which allows our students to help others in need while appreciating the difficult circumstances many people are still living under in the 21st century.

“The charity is committed to getting better water access, expanding the tree cover, improving educational facilities and opportunities and creating a better understanding of a range of different cultures.

“Our students had a full itinerary during their trip. They visited with the district commissioner before attending Mtimmoja Primary School to do some tree planting and watch a student dance show.

“They were able to meet the renowned primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall after attending one of her lectures and visited Nanja school where they were involved in some sapling care.

“The school has no water for its 450 boarders and pupils have a 10-minute walk to collect dirty water from a pond for washing and so on. They have to buy drinking water from the military. We are planning to help them harvest water in the future to make things more tolerable.”

During the trip. the Ellesmere College students painted the classrooms at Nanja and met with a women’s group. They also visited national parks and museums.

Money for the trip was raised throughout the term through fundraisers and events.

“The Monduli project really strikes a chord with our pupil,” Cathy added.

“They go on to have lifelong connections and a large number of staff, parents and pupils pay to sponsor a child each year through school too, helping to ensure they get the education they deserve and the opportunities they would not normally get.

“The number of sponsorships each year continues to go up and one of the first pupils who was sponsored through his education has now qualified and is now teaching at the school in Tanzania.

“The charity is doing some amazing work in Tanzania and Ellesmere College is proud to be able to play our part in raising awareness of that work by supporting and helping those in need.”