Support building a unique education centre in Tanzania!

About this project

 

STORY

 

Our story began almost 30 years ago when Polish educators Jerzy Hamerski and Elżbieta Drygas brought a school from the Netherlands to the city of Poznań, Poland. The building was donated by the Dutch charity Caritas. It arrived in parts, packed into a dozen trucks - a heroic feat at that time.

 

 

Thanks to the unshakable belief in dreams, Jerzy and Ela managed to create an experimental primary school using theatrical methods for education. They were supported by the city council, residents, donors, parents, students and friends from abroad. The school was called Łejery (pronounced Wayair). The school exists to this day and educates the next generations of "Łejers" – a name now synonymous with students from the elementary school.

 

 

 

Many of the founding parents and students felt indebted and wanted to give back. As a  result, the Wayair Foundation was created with an aim to facilitate learning opportunities for other kids and adults around the world. Motivated by this vision, in 2017 Wayair Foundation began working in Ulyankulu - one of the world's largest refugee camps in Tanzania. Why? To share decades of knowledge and expertise in education and to give other children a well-designed school with a proven and successful teaching method. We have worked extremely hard to begin construction and implement the teaching programme. Now, we need your help to finish building the last remaining 4 classrooms. With your help, next year, 300 kids will be able to go to a good school. 

 

OUR AIM - a dream school in the shade of mango trees

 

The basic idea of the school in Ulyankulu is to create not only an educational building but also space for entertainment, integration, meetings and theatre activities.

 

 

The project of the educational village develops a complex of buildings:

 

classes located around mango trees, which give shade and pleasant coolness and are a natural gathering place for the local community

 

playgrounds that are located between classes

 

the theatre which, among others, will serve to implement the program of learning English and math through theatre activities

 

The design was created by architects from the studio JEJU STUDIO, ARH and AKON, who spent months in Ulyankulu and the surrounding area. They came up with a project which relies on local building practices, equipment, and local materials, but with the use of modern technological solutions.

 

 

 

 

We believe that good design shapes and develops creativity, but above all it provides comfortable conditions for learning, playing and growing. The classes are covered with a specially constructed roof, which ensures continuous air flow, and thus cooling and ventilation. In addition, the roof construction allows for collecting rainwater into a special tank with a capacity of 60,000 litres.

 

 

 

 

ABOUT THE PROJECT

 

Ulyankulu in Tanzania is a former refugee camp, which has grown to the size of a city of 40,000. In the 1970s, Tanzania received hundreds of thousands of refugees from Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world, fleeing ethnic violence and civil war. In recent years, thousands of the Burundian refugees received Tanzanian citizenship and they intend to build their lives in Tanzania. Today, the next generation is growing up in Ulyankulu - studying, working and establishing families.

 

 

Through extensive research and needs assessment, we found that the most pressing problems are limited access to education and lack of water. The local primary school is overcrowded, with 300 students in each classroom. In these conditions, the building gets overheated very quickly, it lacks ventilation and clean water.

 

 

The local authorities do not have adequate funds to develop the necessary school infrastructure. We observed, however, that investment in infrastructure is absolutely necessary to aid the process of integration between the former refugees and local Tanzanians.

 

ABOUT US - Foundation which creates opportunities

 

Wayair Foundation is a team of educators, communication experts, academics and architects. Foundation's projects are based on in-depth research and close cooperation with local organisations, leaders and children. The organization was established in 2015 to increase the impact of educational centres in which both children and adults can learn. Our programme focuses on teaching independent thinking, creativity and problem-solving. The team members, in addition to Jerzy Hamerski and Elżbieta Drygas, include:

 

 

For more information about this project, the Foundation and other activities, please visit:

 FB: https://www.facebook.com/fundacjaulejerow/  

IG: wayair_foundation
WWW: https://www.wayair.org/

 

  

 

WHY OUR SCHOOL WILL BE UNIQUE?

 

As Jerzy Hamerski says: "It is not so much the roof that matters, but the things under the roof." We believe that every child has the right to education, and by equipping children with appropriate conditions for learning we help them become citizens of the world and to shape their future.

 

 

Our programme involves English and math teaching through plays and theatre techniques, drawing on the rich experience of Wayair pedagogy. It prioritises children's comprehensive development, discovering their talents, and at the same time taking into account the curriculum and pedagogical practices of Tanzania. Our school is extremely open to various types of technological improvements in education and is eager to partner with other schools, centres and educators.

 

 

WHAT HAVE WE DONE SO FAR? The construction has already started

 

Two years ago, we established contact with the Tanzanian branch of Caritas. Our local partners allocated us a plot of land for construction. The plot is centrally located in Ulyankulu settlement and it is surrounded by a few beautiful mango trees. A team of architects volunteered to design the school buildings and the furniture and to supervise the initial activities on the construction site.

 

 

 

 

We have managed to obtain some funding from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the first stage of our work. It allowed us to lay the foundation for the school and build the first classrooms. The Foundation's friends and skilled volunteers supported us throughout the processes. However, the school is not completed and Ela Drygas is today running teaching classes in makeshift conditions.

 

WHAT ARE WE FUNDRAISING FOR?

 

Construction works are continuing, however, we do not have enough funds to complete the construction of the entire school. Time is crucial here - the earlier we manage to finish, the earlier we can register the school and officially open it. All we need is funds for completing the construction of 4 classrooms.

 

 

PLN 150,000 will be enough to build walls, construct a special roof with a system that ensures continuous ventilation, and to furnish the classrooms. We already have a special tank to store water, but we need to buy and install a rainwater drainage system. We would also like to equip newly formed classes with doors and shutters, tables, chairs and boards as well as study materials. It is our dream that the children will be able to fully use the school from next year.

 

 

Many people have been involved in creating and implementing the educational village project in Ulyankulu. Without their support, our work and activities would not be possible:

 

W realizację projektu wioski edukacyjnej w Ulyankulu zaangażowało się mnóstwo osób. Bez ich wsparcia nasze prace i działania nie byłyby możliwe:

 

•  Iwo Borkowicz JEJU studio, architect
• Amelia Kuch, researcher, European Doctoral Training scholarship holder
•  Adam Siemaszkiewicz JEJU studio, architect
• Łukasz Rawecki ARH , architect
• Björn Steinar Bluemenstein, architect
• Sebastian Lawson-Thorp - Learning and Development Officer for NHS Health Scotland
•  Katarzyna Starzecka & her team, AKON constructors
• Małgorzata Żukowska, archaeologist
•  Alicja Biała, graphic designer
•  Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland  - Polish Aid 2018
•  Caritas Tabora
•  Q&ACommunications
•  Emilia Waśniowska Elementary School nr 83
•  Spark Academy Primary School
•  Montessorii Home kindergarten
• Blue Sky Travel Poznań

Media about this project