News:2010 Oct. Student Comments.

There were a good number of brief stories written by the 1st and 3rd year students. Those in the 2nd had already gone home after sitting for their national exams. Nevertheless, only a few of the stories were given space bearing in mind that they will be replaced when the website is created. For the sake of the writers’ pride the stories have not been edited. We hope any errors encountered will not be a hindrance to the readers’ comprehension.

• We, Hekima students, are currently happier because of various latest improvements.        For example we now use the new laundry which has running water and so we do not have to carry washing water on our heads.  – E. Josue, Form III
• I will never forget the problem of cleaning the waste water pit from the bathroom. Phew! The smell! But that is history now. Thanks to our benefactors and may the Lord bless you.  – G. Speratus, Form III
• I love the internet. I feel it has all the secrets I need in life. Most importantly it has a variety of knowledge. But the problem is that most of the time the computers take ages to open! At times I feel like breaking them into pieces when they refuse to open. To me they are like mean people who deny you help when they have the ability and power. Please computers, stop breaking because when you do you also break our hearts and our future. – A. Paschal, Form I
• Dear granaries, thank you for coming to our rescue. My back, hands, head specially thank you. Carrying corn day in day out was not fun at all. Washing it early in the morning ready for drying and milling was my worst experience at school. But my stomach owes you the most gratitude. Now the food is more tasty and chemical free. When I have a family in future, in your memory, I will make sure I have someone like you at home. – Alphoncina Nyamwihura, Form III

• When I look at the builders of our new dining hall (CAPPS CENTRE) who are sometimes sitting for the reason of resting because they say their work is very hard I ask myself if they know the problems we get when eating. Yesterday it was raining when we were taking lunch. I had to wait outside for my turn. Last week wind blew a leaf into my food because we eat outside. When the dining hall is ready we will celebrate. – H. Mohamed, Form I
• I came to Hekima because it is a different school. At first I thought it is a school for training girls to become nuns. But later my elder sister studied here. That is when I understood. During the first months life was very hard for me. The routine has many activities. Speaking English was like punish to me because I was not knowing to speak it well. But now I speak it like I am drinking water.  During Christmas holidays I will speak it with my sister who is at university. I will make my parents to be happy. – C. Ndalahwa, Form I

News:2010 School Year Highlights.

• The school academic year began, run and ended almost smoothly according to plan. Not any major challenges were experienced.
• Two giant granaries, to take 40 tones of grain, were constructed and put to use thereby ending the existing problems of students spending a lot of time on putting maize for their food in the sun and taking it back to store in order to keep destructive insects; away and the school being compelled to spray it with chemical preservatives which was not so healthy for the students.
• The students’ laundry was opened which ended the problem of students washing their clothes and disposing the waste, soapy water anywhere and everywhere, especially on grass lawns, paths etc thereby endangering the environment.
• The school got a second hand bus which marked the reduction of transport problem for both the students and staff.
• Around 38 acres of land was purchased. This brought new hopes for planned expansion, self-help projects, reforestation etc as our campus is now almost fully utilized and there is hardly any space left.
• Three hundred science books donated to the school through special programme of READ UNIVERSITY UK  some are text books and good references.

News:2010 June-October News.

• In April/ May 2010 the Headmistress had a working tour of Ireland, Germany and Sweden.
• A delegation of13 professionals and trainees, sponsored by Baggium Sweden, had a month working stay with Hekima Secondary School, Kashozi and Nyaigando Vocational training Centres, as well as Kajunguti Dispensary in September/October
• In September, 2010 a delegation of 3 staff members and four students from St. Petri Skola, Sweden had a nine days working stay and tour of Kagera as part of visit exchange with Hekima.
• Between September and October 2010 Hekima students and staff planted 15100 trees.
• A Hekima student, Irene Alex, won an essay writing competition organized by the East Africa Community in April/ May 2010
• The Hekima form one 2011 entrance exam results, which was done in September 2010, were released in October, 2010.
• Hekima 2010 Form two class emerged the 1st overall winners in the Bukoba Urban, Rural and Missenye District mock exams comprising 71 schools. This was the 3rd consecutive time Hekima has led in these exams in the 3 districts.

News:2010 Sept.-Oct. Newsletter.

THE LONGEST WAR ON EARTH

The Theresian Sisters founded Hekima and committed themselves onto the primary mission of emancipating the Tanzanian girl child from various handicaps, the first one being psychological. I truly congratulate but at the same time pity them because of the gravity of the task they had embarked themselves to fulfill. I am strongly convinced that we, Africans, have been very badly affected psychologically such that liberating us or ourselves is harder and will take much longer than even the much appealed economic liberation. This is because in the first place very few of us accept the fact that we are very badly affected in the mind.
In the last budget meeting in the Parliament there were a good number of women and men who emotionally criticized Tanzanian girls who wear mini-skirts and perform nude dancing. They strongly pointed an accusing finger to them saying that it is very immorally un and anti-African. They advised the parents and the government to do something about it in order to arrest this embarrassing situation. I agree with them completely.
Nevertheless, the problem is much, much bigger than that. Personally I believe that the mini and/or very tight skirts and trousers which clearly reveal the geography of the body, the over-lowered trousers for boys etc are not the problem but rather results or indicators of the key problem. When the MPs were emotionally pointing an accusing finger to the poor girls I watched them with a smile. Almost all of the female speakers and possibly the male speakers’ wives had bleached their skins and most had scorched their hair with chemicals feigning white women! They forgot that when they where pointing one accusing finger the other three were pointing to themselves and the thumb to God requesting for a just judgment over this wrangle.
In showing what the real problem is, in the book ‘Song of Ocol’ (EAPH-1970), the writer p’Bitek had the assimilated Ocol lamenting:
Mother, mother,
Why,  

Why was I born

Black?

I believe p’Bitek wrote the book in an effort to make Africans aware of the problem in anticipation that we would gradually liberate ourselves psychologically. Although this was in the late sixties, the situation has not got any better but probably worse. In the book ‘Summons’ by Mabala et al (TPH – 1980), the poem Lost Beauty raises the same issue. In the poem the late Mwaikusa says:
There are only white women around:
Awful fakes of white females…….
But in conclusion Mwakusa admits:
Then I turn and weep upon myself
And then, only then I realize:
I am not black either.
Mwaikyusa’s conclusive verse should be a wake up call to all of us, Africans. We have been put in a vicious situation where almost all of us believe that you can NOT be beautiful unless you are white or you have hanging hair like a white woman! This is a psychological problem which we have intentionally or unintentionally decided to embrace. It is an inferiority complex, cultivated into our minds many years ago, and now it seems as if it so natural and genuine that Africans do not even see anything wrong with it. Many of us do it in the name of FASHION. If that is the case then let us introduce the fashion by which whites will polish their skins black and scorch their hair curly.
I am not blaming anyone, please. This is our problem. I cannot claim to be a perfect African. The war in order to liberate the Africans psychologically can neither be simple nor take a short time. If the assimilation has grown roots for well over a century then fighting and winning it should take as much or longer, probably over two centuries. This should be one of the longest wars on earth. That is why I say that the Theresian Sisters’ mission is an uphill task. It is like trying to contain a very strong ocean current. For that reason, therefore, we should all join hands with them. My only precaution is that we should not fight the signs, indicators or results of the problem but the root.  
                              Jackson Mambo, Teacher

Inform:We welcome volunteers.

Opportunities:

For a number of years the school has been working with teaching and non-teaching volunteers from U.S.A., Sweden, Ireland, England, Germany and Australia, Due to the benefits gained from either party the school is ready to work and warmly invites both domestic and foreign volunteers to work with us.

Application:

Preferably applications are to be submitted through International Volunteer Organisations. Nevertheless, interested individuals can contact the Headmistress via E-mail showing their academic and professional qualifications, fields of working interest, age, gender, working experience, duration for which the applicant is ready to work with us, etc.

Accommodations:

As all the teaching and non-teaching staff are accommodated at school, volunteers are also given free accommodation of reasonable standard on campus. This includes bed, net and reasonable number of furniture pieces. In addition, basic cooking and dining tools are provided. The quarters have running water and electricity. Free night security guarding is provided by the school.

Additional Information:

Free break tea and lunch to volunteers on working days are provided by the school.

Inform:Photos and Videos.

Photo Albums  and Videos will be added later.

Inform:Frequently Asked Questions.

• When are you opening an all girls English Medium Primary School?
• Why don’t you have a pre-form one class?
• What makes the Hekima students well behaved and have special attitude towards education compared to most of the rest in the region?
• How do you manage to make your students speak English all the time when this has proved almost impossible to most secondary schools in Tanzania?
• What makes Hekima students perform relatively well in academics especially those who were relatively weak in primary school?
• Why is Hekima frequented by many foreigners compared to other secondary schools in the region?
• Why do development projects at Hekima get foreign sponsors comparatively easier than others in the zone?
• How come that the school can do comparatively a lot with limited resources?
• Why are students at Hekima not doing very well in Math?