Let's Send Maria Steven to School!

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. East Africa

         After navigating my way through dark and narrow passage ways constantly plagued with murky water in between market shacks, it was, simply put- impossible for me to ignore the brightest light in Dar Es Salaam. Maria Steven's eyes, effortlessly cutting through the grime that results from a mostly unplanned city of (perhaps) five million inhabitants, were just the beginning of what was to be months of a joyous six year old always by my side dancing, singing, hugging, climbing or just rolling around the ground barefoot-always in the same soiled clothes but always with the same infectious smile. I now know there is no better way to mask suffering and hopelessness than the face of Maria Steven. 

Behind Mwenge Market, Dar Es Salaam (12/9/12)
*Click to enlarge

          Maria is the child of a single mother who works under the relentless African sun from dawn to dusk, seven days a week, for a meager dollar a day in a highly populated area known as Mwenge, not too far from what they call home next to the Manzese Bridge. Maria has never known her father and most likely never will. With little supervision and guidance, I've even found Maria kilometers away from Mwenge collecting bottle caps (only the red ones) on the side of a road that one would have a better chance of crossing  by closing their eyes, crossing their fingers, and holding their  breath rather than the traditional and usually more effective 'looking both ways' technique. Still, Maria blissfully continues to dodge bullets and buses...among other invisible threats. Without access to clean or even running water (or a bathroom), there is an alarmingly high risk of typhoid, cholera, and dysentery for Maria...not to mention that handing Maria a toothbrush was like me handing any six year old a TI-89 Texas Instrument. However, Maria will absolutely not be able to evade the biggest danger of them all which lurks only a few months ahead: the life as a woman in Dar Es Salaam without an education or family support.

Maria chillin'

           My time in Dar, whether it be at the University of Dar Es Salaam researching education in Tanzania, roaming the streets, playing football with local teams, teaching at a high school, or helping a local business owner run a shop, has only solidified the fact that I know with absolute certainty that without quality education Maria is severely vulnerable. To be on the same page, there has been a massive increase in enrollment of public primary schools in Tanzania during the past decade (from 4,000,000 to around 9,000,000). However, that increase in enrollment has not been matched by any sort of increase in teachers or learning resources. The average teacher to student ratio in Dar was an astonishing 54:1 in 2007, and that was six years ago. More than often, students cannot make it through the first years of secondary school after primary school and turn to face a life of selling fanta and coca-cola on the streets (if they're lucky). For the marginalized young women of Dar that story is fully capable of becoming unfathomably worse. For Maria, even public primary school seems like a reach- located far from home and without the means to purchase the required school uniform or shoes, books, pencils and paper, not to mention the complete and utter absence of a safe, learning environment to return to after school. 

          It is imperative that my best little friend starts Standard One (first grade) at an institution that is capable of preparing her for an effective high school education. With all the pieces and logistics already set into place, Maria has the support she needs to attend school at St. Mary's International School in Dar Es Salaam. She'll be able to put all of her creative energy and more into a celebration of learning. Who knows where Maria can go, but I cannot wait to find out.  

          With your help her story is going to be one that she already is writing: vibrant and full of life, capable of shifting the shapes, moods, and the environment around her wherever she goes. Remember, by providing an education to someone who is more than deserving, we will not only be helping an individual, but the entire community to which that individual belongs to! The only thing Maria, Mwenge, and Tanzania needs now- is you! Sooo, this Christmas I ask all my friends, family, and able givers (Santa too, of course) to send Maria to school. ANY CONTRIBUTION helps.