Here is a little background on the MaaSae Girls Lutheran Secondary School (MGLSS) in Monduli, Tanzania. The idea for this school came back in the early 1990's through a collaboration of minds with Reverend David Simonson, a long time Lutheran missionary in Tanzania (originially from Minnesota), the Tanzanian Lutheran Bishop Reverend Thomas Laiser, and the Tanzanian Prime Minister Edward Moringe. They believed there was a need to educate the young Maasai (different spelling than the school name) women. Education would help these women improve the quality of life and provide more benefits to their villages and families (I will talk about the Maasai culture a little more in another blog). David Simonson, along with his son, Nathan, were instrumental in getting a 750 acre coffee plantation, in the foothills of the mountains, offered to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania for the purpose of building the School. Construction of the school began in 1994, and the school was formally dedicated in 1995 with one classroom in operation. Now there are over 35 buildings on the site including a chapel, a library, classrooms, a dining hall, kitchen, and dormitories. The buildings follow a design similar to the Tanzania boma (a large circle -more explanation later). The complex also includes several guest houses for visitors and housing for some of the teachers around the outside of the boma. The school has grown over the years to educate Form I - Form VI girls (Grade 7 - Grade 12). Currently, there are over 250 girls attending the school with over 25 staff members/teachers. Most of the funding has come through Operation Bootstrap Africa, churches, and individuals.
NOTE: Operation Bootstrap Africa is a NGO founded by David Simonson in the 1970's. It was established to help fund school projects in Eastern Africa and it is now run by a board of directors in Minneapolis. My hometown church in Underwood and other local churches in my area have been longtime supporters of OBA.
The girls who attend the school are selected through an application process and recommendations from their local pastors and primary schools. Each girl is interviewed and selections are based on all the compiled information.
It was a beautiful drive into Monduli and to the school this morning. The roads in Monduli are lined with large trees and the school is located in a wooded area filled with trees, plants, and of course, the coffee fields.
(TL: classroom, TR: Chapel with a Massai shield designed on the roof)
(BL: The homes around the school, BR: The duplex guesthouse where I stayed)
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