TravelAid has been working with Serian UK since December 2005.
Our collaboration centres around Noonkodin Secondary, a non-government school managed by Serian UK and based in a remote Maasai area in northern Tanzania. The school was the first and only centre for secondary education in this area of Tanzania. Noonkodin consequently receives large numbers of applications from the surrounding villages. In 2005 however, capacity was severely limited by a lack of classrooms, water supply and teaching resources. TravelAid has worked with Serian UK to assist the physical development at the school, as well as providing skills support to teachers and students.
In the summer of 2006, TravelAid sent its first team of volunteers from Oxford University to Noonkodin. The students organised and delivered an intensive science summer camp. The aim was to prepare the form two students for their national exams. The volunteers worked creatively to bring the curriculum to life using limited resources - activities included making batteries from lemons and basic food tests. When the Noonkodin students took their exams two months later, they came top in the district across the science subjects.
That year, TravelAid volunteer fundraising financed the construction of a science laboratory at the school. In subsequent years, the project has taken similar shape with volunteers also branching into other areas of teaching including drama, mathematics and english.
In 2007, Noonkodin Secondary became a refuge for girls fleeing female genital mutilation. The school's resources were squeezed as increasing numbers of girls and young women sought accommodation and food. Later that year, TravelAid was able to assist by financing the construction of a girls dormitory.
In later years, TravelAid has aided the development of the school through construction of a rainwater harvesting system and the provision of hundreds of books.