Jim and Liz Newton discovered Nianjema Schools (now MWK Schools) in a roundabout way. When Jim’s sabbatical came up six years ago, he and Liz, Abby(12), and David (10) headed for Africa for three months of sightseeing, hiking, and volunteering.
The family volunteered in a Bagamoyo pre-school and loved working with the kids, especially Alex and Sada who were very bright. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much of an educational future beyond pre-school.
“Our question,” Jim says, “What can we do with limited resources? We decided that education is the key to giving them the opportunity to do better.” The local teacher put the Newtons in touch with Charles Sloan, the MWK Schools manager.
The story is a happy one. Alex and Sada have just finished Grade 5 at 1st and 3rd in the class respectively and the Newtons now sponsor eight students in all, adding two each year. When asked what they would say to those considering supporting a child, Liz replies with a smile, “Just do it! What do you have to lose?”
Scholarships like those provided by the Newtons offer a future to deserving children. To help go to Support a TEF Scholar.
