Like thousands of other primary students in rural Tanzania, 12-year-old Sharifa was often in-and-out of school.
Sharifa lives in Mnacho, a small rural community in the Lindi region of southern Tanzania. While primary education is free in Tanzania, some schools ask parents to support school feeding programs, either through monthly fees or contributing food supplies like maize flour.
Many families are also required to cover costs like uniforms, books, and other learning materials. For some families living in Mnacho, these costs and contributions are often too high to meet.
At Sharifa’s school, students, teachers, and community members are coming together to grow a solution to help address barriers to education.
