Opening Day at Peace House Secondary

Wow! The students actually arrived! And not just some students--ALL of them! Peace House Secondary School is really open! As I sit here, it's hard to believe that the students sat in their classrooms today for the first time. We really are off and running!

Scott and Sue and two of their boys, Brent and Garrett, came for the big event. They deserve to be very proud! Scott founded PHF and Tanzania holds a special place in his heart, as his father was a missionary here many years ago. Although both Scott and Sue have been here several times, being able to watch the school finally open was a great moment. Sue cut curtains (lots of curtains) and

Brent and Garrett may be permanently hunched from a couple days of assembling bunkbeds! They walked onsite and started moving furniture right away. Thanks, guys!



The students gathered at a church in town and then arrived at the school site on buses. A band and all the adults welcomed the students with shouts and cheers and handshakes. Tanzanians love a sherahe (party) and there was lots of dancing as the students filed into the dining hall.

The Bishop of the Arusha diocese (Lutheran) attended the day's events. PHF partners with the diocese here in Arusha and it was through them that we were able to get the land to build. They do a lot of work for/with us, particularly in terms of navigating the legal requirements of doing work here. He is Maasai and always wears a Maasai-style shirt or jacket. He knows how difficult this project was, especially to find and select the right students. He praised Mark for the effort that it took to get these 120 students on campus on that first day. If you remember, we sent out 650 applications, tested 525 students, and personally visited 180 to select these 120. That's a lot of kids!

The quilts were definitely a highlight of the day. Pictures can't really capture how beautiful they all were! Tanzanians love lots and lots of color, so the quilts were a huge hit. Watching them wrap themselves up for a group picture was terrific. It does get cold here so they'll be much appreciated. They really are amazing...each one is completely unique. Just like each student.

Some pictures really do capture the essence of a person, or a moment, and if they do, it's because Andrea and Charles have been working here, doing what they do really well. You don't often see their faces (which I think is how they like it) because they're behind a lens, but it's their work that you see representing PHS to the rest of the world. Andrea has some more great pictures here. Just click the slideshow icon to see them better.

It's hard to put into words how much work has gone into this project. For 5 years the PHF board has met and planned and fundraised. Volunteers have decorated, walked, donated, and shopped. Here in Tanzania, work weeks for Mark, Max, and Isaya routinely go 6 days and over 10 hours. In the last month, that's been the case for most of us! These are many, but by no means all, of the people that have worked tirelessly to make today happen. One of them, our accountant Dickson, is not on film, but can't be forgotten. He was responsible for ordering all of the things we needed--and by ordering, I mean driving all over town getting bids, then placing orders, and then picking it all up. No catalog, email, or phone orders here!
Opening a school, I've decided, is like giving birth. You plan and plan, but it's all theoretical to a certain extent...then labor starts, but you haven't been resting much before that so you're tired going in to that final stretch anyway. You labor and labor and labor, and then...a BABY! But you have no time to rest. Now it's time to be a parent for the rest of your life! I feel that way right now--we are trying to catch moments of "enjoying the moment" but the work continues at a frantic pace. Construction continues at the site amidst all the people. Water and sewer...well, you can see how modern we are right now! And, fyi, behind those colorful doors...no seats! You've gotta have strong thighs! It's part of the adventure and we are so thrilled to have PHS up and running that it's easy to focus on that rather than those obstacles. The contractor is working hard and rumor has it the dorms are very likely to have their solar lights working tonight!

Max's wife, Gina, showed up to lend a hand. Probably the only other person who really understands what it's taken to get this far! Measured, in part, by how much time one's husband spends at work!




And the students? Already they are settling in and relaxing. They have had orientation, team building games and activities, movie nights, and are quickly becoming used to the idea that they are actually going to school. It won't be an easy road for many of them.
Receiving this gift of education has made some of them remember exactly why they are receiving it. They have lost one or both parents. They come from families that may not have enough food to eat. They have relatives who care little for them, or relatives who have sacrificed everything to care for them. They have left behind siblings who will never get this opportunity. They know they will likely be the ones to support their family members when they graduate. Away from their families and homes, many of them will deal with grief and loss, perhaps for the first time. Some were fortunate to attend some school this year, others have not been in school for 8 months. Most of them are away from home for the first time. That's a lot to manage. We are confident that they will come to trust us and each other, that they will understand that they have an opportunity to be the change. They will be able to help their families and their communities. They'll be able to accept this blessing and become blessings to others in their lives.
At the end of the day, I do believe it's less about what we do than what they will do. We saw 120 reasons we have been working for almost 2 years in Tanzania. 120 reasons why a group in Chicago raises money to travel here and work. 120 reasons why teachers from across the US came to share their time and talents.120 reasons why women sewed quilts. 120 reasons why so many attend Colors of Hope. 120 reasons why PHF exists. These students are really what has brought all of us together. It's truly been a blessing for us to be able to serve them.

Welcome! Karibu!