Highlights from the Third Quarterly Report
We have received the Report for the third quarter covering August to October 2013, A summary is as follows:
The objective of the Preschool is to promote early childhood development of Maasai children to enable the following outcomes
• Provision of early education for up to 40 children – now in excess of 50 children.
• Teaching national language, Swahili, in readiness for primary school
• Provision of two healthy meals each day
• Employment of 6 local people
These objectives have been achieved.
This term there were 53 children enrolled – 27 girls and 26 boys. They are aged between 3 and 5 years. The current program includes teaching spoken Swahili, learning Swahili words and the alphabet each day. During the year to the end of this term the children have been taught 367 hours of Swahili, with 149 hours in the third term. English and numeracy skills are also taught. The preschool is committed to providing daily nutritious meals to support early childhood development and encouraging attendance. The cost of food has risen in Tanzania because of a significantly dry period and as a result meals were reduced to two per day on 3 days a week and one on the other two days. We have now provided further funding to have the two meals every day restored. A total of 13,622 meals have been provided since the preschool recommenced in February this year, until the end of October.
The success of our support for the preschool can be measured by the fact that at least 22 children will progress to Primary School in 2014. There are already a further 21 children pre-enrolled for 2014 – which means there will be over 50 children enrolled next year. The preschool has operated within the budget of A$3000 per term – notwithstanding the depreciation of the A$ and the increase in the number of children and the cost of food. A budget is being prepared for 2014 which on early indications will be well within our committed fundraising.  The year will finish early in December and we have provided funding for an end of term “feast” for the children and staff.