A New School Year In Tanzania
by Lydia Schaeffer

......In East Africa, the academic year commences when the New Year begins. So the children at Treasures of Africa returned to school during the first week of January. They had been enjoying vacation time since the first week of December, but they were excited about returning to school and being in a new grade.

With all the physical growth that had taken place over the last nine months of good nutrition and exercise, all the children needed new school uniforms and shoes. Thanks to generous donors, we were able to purchase everything our kids needed.

Two of our children, five year olds Antoni and Witness, started school for the first time. They were up early on the first day of school, proud of their new school shoes, uniform, backpack, sweater, and supplies. It was an exciting first day of school morning and they were all smiles.

After the children had been in school for a week, I went to say hello to the teachers of Antoni and Witness. They were the former second grade teachers in the previous year. They know me very well because three of our kids were in their class last year. They were all smiles when they saw me and were excited to inform me that Antoni and Witness were doing fine in school. In fact, they reported that their performance during the first week of school has been so impressive, that they expect that both of the children will be top students.

I thank the Lord for that wonderful report from their teachers. I am also thankful for Faith and Grace, our tutors here at TOA. They have laid an excellent academic foundation and continue to work hard to help our children to succeed.