Community Service

Community service is an important value at Kirby. The student council and individual classes sponsor school-wide and community service projects. In continuing to develop its commitment to global citizenry and service, the School’s primary project in 2008-2009 has been to help build the Ufani Primary School in Tanzania.

Kirby Students Build a School in Tanzania. How the Project Began….

Ufani School In July 2007, Marianne Kent-Stoll, Assistant Head of School, traveled with her husband, history teacher Don Stoll, to Tanzania. They combined their vacation with a cultural exchange. Going on safari and viewing wildlife was spectacular, but the most memorable part of the trip for them was staying in the remote village of Bacho with a family that had eleven children. While there, they visited Ufani Primary School, which serves 230 boys and girls. The school was in terrible shape and needed glass for the windows, doors for the door-frames, concrete to cover dirt floors, a roof over one of the classrooms, desks for all students, and new blackboards so that teachers could write legible lessons.

On their return, they shared their experiences with Kirby students and faculty. In the fall of 2007, the Student Council and School decided to adopt Ufani School. A number of projects were planned including an auction to raise funds and a trip to Tanzania in July 2008 where 25 students, parents and staff would help renovate the school and build additional classrooms. The first fundraiser, “The Dime-a-Day Drive” was launched with the hope that if every Kirby student and staff member contributed ten cents per day, $4,000 would be collected. This a fairly modest sum by American standards, but it went a long way in Tanzania. Students worked with the Karimu International Help Foundation (founded to foster the Ufani School project), eventually raising $17,500 to complete four classrooms.

A delegation of twenty five students, parents, and staff traveled to Bacho,Tanzania in July 2008. Working with the villagers and construction workers, they completed much of the school renovation, with plans to open four classrooms for the students in 2008. The cultural and work exchange was a learning experience for both communities, and fundraising and logistics planning are under way for 35 volunteers to return to further expand the school in June 2009.

A newsletter and pictures about the trip are available here. More information about the project is available at the Karimu International Help Foundation website.

Student Welcome Parade