Field Story by: Devotha Mlay, Kisa Project Manager Kilimanjaro Region
The loneliness I experienced last year as the only Kisa Mentor working in Kilimanjaro Region is history now. This July, as the Kisa Project expanded to four more schools in the Region, the number of staff increased too.
We have added two fabulous young women to the team: Asimwe Suedi , who is new to AfricAid; and Eligrania Lema, who is an experienced Kisa Mentor and has transferred from Arusha Region. Both started on the 1st of July. This has brought much joy to me. It is now very easy for me to share ideas with my colleagues and to discuss challenges. The most important part is to be able to share responsibilities with the new Mentors. This makes my job easier and more fun!
Asimwe, our new Kisa Mentor, has a Bachelor Degree in Project Planning Management and Community Development from the University of Dodoma. She is a very caring person, having previously worked with street children and orphans. She is passionate about youth and in her first Kisa Classes the girls were very inspired by her. We are so happy to have her join the team and we are looking forward to learning a lot from her. I am sure she will contribute a great deal to our project.
Eligrania, on the other hand, has been working in Arusha as a Kisa Mentor for more than a year. The experience she has as a Mentor is a great advantage to our team here in Kilimanjaro as she will be sharing her experience with Asimwe and assisting her to become familiar with all the requirements of her role. Eligrania is very charming and brings a great sense of humour to the office.
We now have eight Partner Schools in Kilimanjaro Region, teach 12 Kisa Classes per week, and employ three full-time Kisa Mentors. Each week in Kilimanjaro we mentor almost 300 secondary school girls so that they can reach their full potential and become catalysts for change in Tanzanian society.
