Waldorf News

14-year-old Tanzanian Girl, Arafa, Dreams of Going to Waldorf High School in the US: 18-year-old Ali Reinhold Is Making It a Reality

Click here to visit the fundraising campaign at indiegogo.com

Summary

My name is Ali Reinhold. I am 18 years old and a senior at Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School in Ghent, New York.

Ali Reinhold in Babati, Tanzania, 2012

I know a brave 14 year old Tanzanian girl named Arafa who dreams of schooling in the U.S.  My school will give her a 5-year scholarship if I can raise the necessary traveling and living expenses.

Arafa’s life is hard. She lives in a stick home with a dirt floor, no water, and no electricity.  Statistics show that girls in rural Tanzania are likely to drop out of school and marry by age 15.  I want to empower Arafa and allow her to choose her own path.  Her parents want this for her as well. Please help me to help Arafa to succeed.

Arafa (left), her cousin (center), and Arafa’s mother (right), 2012

I’m going to Tanzania in late November to finalize Arafa’s travel arrangements. The founders of the volunteer group WaterPowerPeace have donated their time and expenses to accompany me. In January, We’ll fly back again to bring her to the U.S. where she will begin her enrollment at Hawthorne Valley School.

Many people, in both Tanzania and the U.S., have helped me get this far. Now I need to raise the funds to cover travel and living expenses.

Background

I became involved at Arafa’s school, the Sinai School, when I was thirteen. This was through an organization that a parent in my class founded. The organization, WaterPowerPeace, gave me the opportunity to travel to Babati, Tanzania multiple times to help renovate the crumbling school and teach English. The Sinai School consists of 700 students (up to 120 per class), and the pass rate was extremely low, but has steadily been increasing with our involvement. Girls tend to drop out earlier and in greater numbers than boys.

Arafa (center), 2009

I met Arafa on my first trip to the Sinai School when she was just nine years old. She always stood out to me. Although she lives in a modest stick hut and her family struggles financially, Arafa is a high performing student who cares deeply about education. She has recently graduated her seventh year, and was ranked 9th out of the 80 students in her class. She also received the news that she passed the government issued national exam necessary to go on to secondary school.

Unfortunately, Arafa’s local secondary school is substandard. She would have to walk 7 miles each way to and from school everyday. It is also very unsafe for girls to be walking home at night along the main road. Additionally, the water source is abysmal. It is a mud hole shared with local livestock, which wade through it and contaminate it. The school has no electricity, few books or other learning resources, and the drop out rate for girls is extremely high. These students deserve more than to be set up for failure.

Babati secondary school classroom

Water source at the Babati secondary school

Even with passing test scores, many girls don’t go on to secondary school. Their education ends after grade 7, as they are needed at home to care for their younger siblings or begin to do manual work. They are typically married off within a few years and continue to perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

The organization with which I’ve been working, WaterPowerPeace, sponsored two of Arafa’s teachers to visit the United States. While they were here, they visited my school, Hawthorne Valley School (HVS). With less than 75 students in the high school and located on a 400-acre biodynamic organic farm, it is friendly and welcoming to the many international students who attend. It has a very strong English As a Second Language program and extremely approachable teachers.

The teachers from Tanzania like the fact that you do not have to be tech-savvy to succeed. The majority of the students produce work by hand using calligraphy, drawings, and handwriting.

Hawthorne Valley School

After meeting Arafa’s teachers, Hawthorne Valley offered a 5-year scholarship to a promising student from the Sinai School. This is a truly amazing offer, as it is worth $86,880. Everyone at the Sinai School agreed that Arafa Salimu should be offered this opportunity.  Her family agreed and feels honored that their daughter was chosen.

Arafa’s village leaders have helped her prepare for this opportunity.  The village Reverend took Arafa and her mother on the 8 hour trip to Dar el Salaam to get her passport.  Her primary school teacher is tutoring her in English everyday after school so she will be ready for her Skype interview, which is required to get into HVS.  The people of Babati understand that Arafa’s opportunity will open doors for other girls in the village, as well.  So many lives are being impacted.

This is my last year at HVS, which means that it is also the last viable year in which to utilize this offer. Arafa will need someone who can guide her during the first few months, and I am perfectly positioned to do so. There is one piece of the puzzle that is still missing: the money to get her to the U.S. and keep her here.

The Plan

I am leaving late November for Babati, Tanzania where I will help Arafa with her school application, facilitating a Skype interview between Arafa and the HVS head teacher, and generally get the ball rolling. If I raise the necessary funds, I will make another trip in January to bring her to the United States, where she will start her enrollment at Hawthorne Valley School.

Arafa holding her younger sibling, 2012

Click here to visit the fundraising campaign at indiegogo.com

What I Need

I need to  raise $18,000 (minimum) to bring Arafa to the U.S. and cover her expenses for her first year.

• Tanzania is a long way from the education available in New York and, unfortunately, flights are expensive.  Arafa will need to be accompanied, and we want her to be able to return home to see her family in the summer. Flights are approximately $1,700 per round trip ticket.

•$1,500 to get a passport, student visa, etc.
This requires two more trips to Dar es Saalam with Arafa, her mother, and the village reverend to request visas. Most likely they will need to return for interviews with the U.S. Embassy and the Tanzanian Embassy.

•Approximately $200/month (January-July) for health insurance and dental/eye doctor visits.

•$950/month (March-July) for boarding expenses.
She will stay with me for the first few months, but I really want her to have an established place to live when she returns for her second year, as I won’t be there. My school typically boards foreign students with different host families. These families invite the student into their homes and become like a surrogate family. Boarding costs cover food, transportation, pharmacy and personal items, as well as housing.

•$750 for clothes and miscellaneous.
Arafa has almost no possessions. She probably owns one pair of shoes and has (at the most) three outfits. She will not only need more day clothes, but also a winter coat, winter boots, and gloves.

•$250 for school supplies, books, and a book bag.

•$2,500 school activity fee not covered by the scholarship.
This covers class trips, sports fees and transportation, afterschool art or club activities, etc.

If the goal is surpassed, remaining money will go to securing her return to Hawthorne Valley next year. It is my hope that this begins

What You Get

$25 Contribution: Wooden Spoon

Hand carved, very durable. Supports the women of Babati.

$65 Contribution: Massai Bracelet

Handmade, beaded bracelet. Supports local women. Comes is many colors and patterns. Chosen randomly.

$125 Contribution: Small Wooden Animal

Small, wooden animal, up to 8 inches tall. Hand carved by Peter, Babati villager. Peter’s wife is very sick, and this helps to pay for her care. Many different animals: lions, zebras, warthogs, antelope, etc. Chosen randomly.

$250 Contribution: Small Wooden Animal, A Massai Bracelet, & A Wooden Spoon

A small wooden animal, a Massai bracelet, and a wooden spoon. Each chosen randomly. See above pictures.

$500 Contribution: Wooden Animal Mask, Massai Basket, & Headscarf

10 inch wooden animal mask, handwoven Massai basket, and a local headscarf. Headscarves come in many vibrant colors and patterns. Each item chosen randomly. All support Babati locals.

$750 Contribution: Large Wooden Animal & Local Fabric

Large animal carving (up to two feet tall) made by Peter the Babati woodcarver, and a 3.5’x11′ (approximate size, they vary) ka’anga. These lengths of material have many different patterns and colors. Each chosen randomly.

$1250 Contribution: Tree Planted in Your Name

A tree planted in your name at the Sinai School. Most likely a mango tree, as mangos are the unanimous favorite among students. I will send you a picture of both myself and Arafa at the tree. A plaque will be installed with your name, and you will receive a photo by the end of this summer showing the tree’s growth.

$5000 Contribution: Tree Planted in Your Name, Plus One of EACH OTHER ITEM OFFERED!

Not only will you get a tree planted in your name, but also a hand carved spoon, a Massai bracelet, a small wooden animal, a large wooden animal, a headscarf, a ka’anga, a Massai basket, and an animal mask! (and a partridge in a pear tree.) See above pictures.

If a monetary contribution isn’t plausible, please help to spread the word! Share the link with friends and family, or post it on a social media site. Any noise is greatly appreciated!

***PLEASE NOTE that if you are using PayPal, the account is in my father’s name (William Reinhold).***
If possible, please pay through PayPal! There is a 3% processing fee on all credit card transactions processed by the IndieGoGo site.

The Impact

Bringing Arafa to the U.S. for high school won’t only give her a jumpstart on life, but will also inspire all of the girls in Babati to continue their education. She is an ideal role model, exemplifying what you can do if you have the motivation. Arafa will be able to return home and open doors for other girls in Babati. I am so proud of her and I believe whole-heartedly that she deserves this opportunity.

I have the additional support of WaterPowerPeace, who have successfully aided the people of Babati, and the Sinai School in particular. On top of that, I have my school’s foreign enrollment program as a resource. My teachers at HVS are excited by the potential to have Arafa as a student. They understand how important this is as well.

After being involved in Babati, Tanzania for five years, I can see the impact this will have on the town. This opportunity is thus far unprecedented. Arafa is very excited about this scholarship and has been practicing her English daily in preparation. This will not only change her life, but the lives of those around her. Please help me to make her dream a reality!

Asante sana. Thank you.

Click here to visit the fundraising campaign at indiegogo.com