When Girls Learn, Communities Rise
- Renee Jones
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Written by Renée Jones, TDS Board Member
In rural Tanzania, education can be a lifeline—but for most girls, it’s a path strewn with obstacles. In the Mara region, a large percentage of girls do not complete secondary school, despite strong evidence that education leads to better health, economic stability, and brighter futures for entire communities.
At Tanzania Development Support (TDS), we believe that every girl deserves the chance to stay in school and thrive. Through our work in the region—especially via the Rose and Karl Willmann Scholarship Fund—we’ve seen firsthand how much potential lies within these young women, and how much is at stake if they’re forced to drop out.
This is more than an education crisis. It’s a matter of equity, opportunity, and generational transformation.
Poverty: When Education Is a Luxury
Even in public schools, education is not free. Uniforms, books, meals, sanitary supplies, and boarding fees add up quickly. For families already struggling to make ends meet, the choice is often between feeding the family and sending a daughter to school. In many cases, boys are prioritized for education while girls are expected to help at home or generate income. Education becomes a luxury—not a right.
TDS works to change that narrative. Through the Willmann Scholarship Fund, we remove these financial barriers. The scholarship covers everything a student needs—from tuition and uniforms to housing and meals—so that she can focus on learning and thriving.
As one student wrote:
“My good academic performance has been influenced by the presence of good environment for studying and peace of staying in school without returned home to take the school fees.”
By becoming a contributor to the Willmann Scholarship Fund, you are helping change the future for dozens of gifted girls in the Mara. A full scholarship is $900 annually and covers all the expenses for a girl to attend Nyegina Secondary School. A monthly donation of $75 is an affordable way to sponsor a girl. Consider changing the life of a girl and her future family by becoming a sponsor today.
Distance: When the Journey to School Is Too Far
In rural areas, many girls walk 5 to 10 kilometers each way to reach school. These long, exhausting commutes—often before sunrise and on empty stomachs—are physically dangerous and emotionally draining. Safety is a serious concern. Parents may pull girls out of school to protect them, especially as they approach adolescence.
That’s why TDS has supported the construction of a dormitory, allowing 160 girls to live where they learn at Nyegina Secondary School. This drastically reduces their risk, fatigue, and dropout rates, creating a more supportive learning environment.
As one scholarship recipient shared:
“I have peace because I am not walking many miles every day to go to school. I am in boarding and I have enough time to study and learn many things from teachers and my fellow students because we are coming from different tribes.”
Tradition: When Culture Clashes with Opportunity
Deeply rooted social norms often dictate that a girl’s primary role is to marry young, care for siblings, and support her household—not to pursue education. Girls are taught to stay quiet, stay close, and stay home.
But we know that when girls stay in school, they gain confidence, earn more over their lifetimes, delay early marriage, and make informed decisions about their health and future.
Through programs like Reading Circles and 4H Career Pathways, TDS helps girls reimagine what’s possible. These spaces introduce them to new ideas, new skills, and new futures—beyond what tradition may have taught them.
"My dream is to be a nurse and my subjects I like is chemistry, Geography and Biology. I study hard in order to fulfill my dream. Apart from that I wish to be a big trader in Tanzania and outside of Tanzania also to support and help People with basic needs like poor girls, disabled, and other groups as the way you, did to me am continue to thank for your kindness. Now I am writing this message by using computer of Madaraka Nyerere Resource Center and I am learning computer studies.”
The Ripple Effect of Education
The challenges are real—but so is the potential. When one girl is educated, her whole community benefits. She becomes an advocate, a wage-earner, a mentor, a mother who insists her children—daughters and sons—go to school.
I think often of the girls in the Willmann Scholarship Program, many of whom write us to share their goals of becoming teachers, doctors, engineers, or community leaders. They are determined. They are bright. They are ready. We just need to help them stay the course.
As several girls have said:
“Through this chance you gave me, it enabled me to study at good environment where there are all resources and I wish through this I will get great success in my form four national exams.”
“Also I am the only one who has got this secondary education in my family. So, after getting this opportunity my family was very happy and they know that one day I will be a good and a great person in my life.”
“It’s a very big sacrifice that you’ve made because paying such a lot of money for someone that you don’t know and you never meet needs a person with heart of helping. If could not be you I could not be here I am. I’ve studied from form one up to form four without being returned at home for failing to pay school fee. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.”
As a sponsor, I’ve experienced firsthand how rewarding it is to support a Willmann Scholar. I’ve had the privilege of sponsoring a bright and determined student in secondary school. Reading her letters, learning about her goals, and seeing her progress has been deeply moving. I hope to meet her one day soon and witness the impact of this opportunity in her life.
Here’s How You Can Help
Sponsor a Willmann Scholar and provide full support for her education journey
Share this story to raise awareness of the barriers—and the breakthroughs
Donate to our programs to expand access and impact across the region
Because when girls learn, communities rise. And when we invest in their futures, we’re investing in our shared humanity. Let’s remove the barriers. Let’s open the doors. Let’s walk beside these girls as they pursue the futures they deserve.