Hitting the Road to Idodi Secondary School

We are making visits to Secondary Schools to meet the students sponsored by St Paul Area Lutheran Churches.  On Thursday, February 14th we went to Idodi, a government Secondary School not far from our companion congregation, Tungamalenga. Don and Eunice Fultz were coming from their visit at Ruaha with Joan Zabel and her husband Dan DeVaney.  Lyn and I road out with Dennis Ngede, Pastor Lusungu Msigwa and a man from Gideon who had boxes of Psalms and New Testaments to give to the students.  In the coming week we will visit four more schools.  Some of the schools are quite a distance from Iringa and the roads in this rainy season make our visits an even greater challenge with many deep ruts in the road.

Generally we are first invited to meet the head master in his office.  We talk for a while about the school, the  last visit to the school, how many students are attending, and other statistics pertinent for our visit.  Then we are taken to an area where the students wait to see us.

Don, Eunice, and Msigwa work on student lists 

Students at Idodi Secondary School

The students know we are  coming and many have letters that they have written to thank their sponsors.  Don and Eunice and Rev Msigwa work on student lists, getting the students ready for their pictures.  Making sure names are correctly spelled and school class is correctly identified., and collecting their letters to sponsors. 

Mkaning'afu Kioniani, student at Idodi

Mkaning'afu Kioniani, after I asked him if he was George's son

After all the pictures are taken, we take a group picture of all the students.

One of our biggest challenges is to get a smile from our students.  I try to make them laugh and make funny motions on top of Lyn's head to make them smile and look at the camera, but sometimes it doesn't work.  I really got a great smile out of Mkaning'afu after I asked him if his dad was George Kioniani.  Please note the first school picture on the right and the second picture after my question about his dad.

New Testament and Psalms given to students by Gideon Society

Mimeograph machine outside headmaster's office.

Students waiting for lunch

Lyn showing pictures

Joan and Dan wanted their pictures taken, too.

Before we arrived the headmaster had spoken with Don, Eunice, Joan and Dan about the saddest time in Idodi's history when twelve girl students died in a fire in the girls dorm.  Eunice took me to the cemetery which is a short walk up path from the classroom where we took student pictures.  

Path to student graves

List of twelve girls who died and are buried here

Graves

More graves

Shortly after the pictures are taken, about 2 pm, the students stand in line with their dish and cups for their second meal of the day which is usually ugali and beans. Of the 58 students  whose pictures we took, 45 of them were from Tungamalenga. It's quite clear that these tuition payments are a huge gift to the students and their congregations.  Thank you to everyone who contributes to this need.  With the opportunity of a secondary school education, these students can look to a brighter future.