St. Joseph Montessori School

St. Joseph Montessori School is located in Ndirma Litembo, a village 10 miles from the town of Songea in Tanzania. People in this village are far behind in education, which is why it is also far behind in economic development. Villagers depend on simple farming activities of growing corn, beans, and vegetables. The area is suitable for coffee production, but people have stopped growing this cash crop because of the poor price they earned through selling their produce to the processing companies. Life in the village is difficult because people earn very little from selling their crops.

As far as education, this community has been left behind. There is a small elementary school but no high school or early childhood education options. Through the hard work of many, St. Joseph was launched to fill this education gap. By providing a kindergarten to plant the seed of a love of learning, St. Joseph Montessori hopes to fulfill its long-term goal of enhanced economic opportunity in this village and improved educational access for all.

VLGF helped fund the completion of the teacher’s house where the Montessori teachers will live. This work primarily focused on finishes such as the installation of doors, windows, ceiling rafters and drop ceiling construction.