Transforming lives - providing education Addressing social needs - empowering communities Offering quality education - Grasslands Secondary School Volunteering - working and learning together

About Grassland Secondary School History

The School started operating in 2019 at Sungwi Village, Masaki ward, Kisarawe district, Pwani region, having needy girls (and boys) of vocational training as a pioneer class. All those students were recruited from poor families; and some had sponsorship through the TRUE GRASSES TRUST.

In the year 2020 TRUE GRASSES TANZANIA TRUST reached a decision to also accommodate in the School, secondary students who are capable and diligent, whose parents can afford paying school fees and from various parts of Tanzania. This decision is crucial for the sustainability of the school besides the donor’s scholarship grants.

In the year 2021 Grassland Secondary School was officially registered after completion of construction of the first phase of the school structures on an 8 – acres school estate in Kisarawe district.

The school is an “O” Level, mixed day and boarding with vocational studies and has momentarily about 15 staff both qualified teachers and non-teaching staff. O-level subjects offered are 16. These are Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Information & Computer Studies, Kiswahili, English language, Literature in English, Geography, History, Civics, Commerce, Book-keeping, Bible Studies and Vocational courses- Tailoring, metal fabrication & welding, mansonry, horticulture etc.

School Curriculum

To support our unique methods of instruction and guidance we provide the following facilities.

  • Every child’s learning curve is identified and appropriate techniques are applied to bring out the best in every child.
  • The Academic Block has spacious, well-furnished and air-faned classrooms for students to observe and learn. 
  • Our teachers are well trained and experienced and we encourage continuous learning and broadening knowledge in various fields.

 

Grassland Secondary School follows the standard Tanzania national secondary education curriculum together with the Tanzania national education guidelines(1982) that prepares students to sit for the examinations of National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA). English is the medium of instruction, also Swahili is taught. The school is managed by a highly trained Headmaster and has graduate teachers.

Student Centric Learning

Every child’s learning curve is identified and appropriate techniques are applied to bring out the best in every child. Student centric learning is focused on the student’s needs, abilities, interests, and learning styles with the teacher as a facilitator of learning. It helps them to be active and responsible participants in their own learning.

Teaching Methodology

Our teaching methodology is an important design parameter. The design seeks to promote student innovation and to make education participatory, interesting and exciting. Besides secondary education we broaden the skills of students in the various vocational skills the school had to offer, to enhance their knowledge and capabilities.


The project will be implemented in the Village of Sungwi (Masaki ward) in Kisarawe district, Tanzania. Kisarawe district, which is located at the coast, south of Dar es Salaam city, is one of the 6 divisions of Pwani region. The population in the area is predominately the Zaramo and the main languages spoken and understood are Zaramo and Swahili. In the past twenty to thirty years, poverty levels among the population living in Kisarawe areas have worsened. The appalling and worsening poverty situation has been a result of a number of factors. There is the rapidly increasing population density in one of the already most densely populated parts of the country. Furthermore, there are decreasing employment opportunities as a result of nationalization and eventually collapse of the 6 cashew nuts plantations in the Division, which used to provide jobs for hundreds of people throughout the year. And on top of that, decreasing farm sizes and small plots, as parents subdivide their small farms into even smaller plots for their offspring, leaving little or no land for cultivation.

Over the past 30-40 years, the government, in collaboration with the Community, has constructed many primary schools. The increasing enrolment at primary level has been both a blessing and a curse. While it opens up the girls’ minds and possibility for higher learning, it also raises their expectations. They feel left out of most possibilities because they consider themselves educated and hence prefer not to follow their parent’s subsistence farming careers. In any case, they cannot find farmland for agriculture in the village because even the very tiny plots that they will eventually inherit remain under control of their parents or even grandparents until the girls have married or are about to marry.

This results in a high level of school dropout and consequently anti-social behavior in the village. Some of the girls engage in prostitution, early marriages, teenage pregnancies and alcoholism. All these problems have worsened considerably in Kisarawe district. The numbers of these offences reported to police are on the increase. The high level of poverty and the inability of the population to find gainful employment and livelihood beyond the traditional sources have had a very adverse effect on the environment around Kisarawe.

In comparison to the number of primary schools, there is a shortage of secondary schools in remote and sparsely located settlements. Centralized schools tend to be not easily accessible by all children from neighboring villages, and this is more problematic to female students, hence low female student turn over and/or high student drop outs have been observed.


True Grasses focuses on helping poor orphaned and vulnerable girls in Africa to afford to stay in school. In Sub-Saharan Africa, cultural expectations have created a belief system that force girls to be the first to drop out of school and the last to be fed or to receive medical care. Without an education, a girl’s future is bleak: child marriage, domestic servitude, poor health, high mortality rates for her children and low wages. 

The main aim of our assistance is to provide good school education and vocational training. This creates a basis for the girls to be able to support themselves in life and be seen as long-term – to influence and change their communities in a positive way.

Research has also proven that secondary school training for girls in the developing world has a higher return on investment than any other effort. Therefore, while True Grasses' “Kisarawe School Project" will enroll both boys and girls, a focus is placed on ensuring girls complete their secondary training. 

The mission of True Grasses is to readily equip the students with adequate skills in business development that will encourage entrepreneurship and innovation, while vocational training will allow them to develop real-life skills that lead to employment and self-sufficiency and directly combating the cycle of extreme poverty

True Grasses is dedicated to giving girls the power and incentive to invest in their own future through education.


If you have not seen the situation with your own eyes it is hard to imagine the miserable conditions in which many children especially girls in Africa grow up. There are a great number of single mothers who barely manage to raise enough money to live on, as well as millions of orphans whose parents have died from various diseases. Many of these children are adopted by relatives, whose financial means are insufficient to enable the children to be educated. Children without relatives mostly live on the streets. 

Only 1 in 5 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa are enrolled in secondary school. Secondary school in Tanzania is expensive in comparison to the average income. HIV/AIDS is so prevalent that by the time a girl reaches high school it’s likely that one or both of her parents have died or are too ill to care for the family. This loss of income wipes out what little money the family has for schooling. 

Girls who drop out are more likely to get HIV/AIDS, die in childbirth and live in poverty. Girls in Africa who don’t complete secondary school have few options for financial support: marriage, domestic servitude and prostitution. Many marry as young as 14 years old. These girls have a one in 22 chance of dying in childbirth. One in six of her children will die before the age of five. Girls are at much greater risk for getting left behind than boys.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 47 percent of out-of-school children worldwide, with 54 percent of those children being girls. Existing cultural attitudes in Sub-Saharan Africa place greater value on boys. It’s a familiar story. If the financial situation of a family forces parents to choose between sending their son or daughter to school, the son will typically win out. For many poor households, child labour is considered much more valuable than school attendance. Boys are seen as a better economic investment than girls whose financial worth lies in her ability to marry rather than earnability. The transition between primary to secondary school is a critical drop-out point.

 


True Grasses' sustainability initiatives are critical for continuing development. 

School Shop-canteen

The School operates a small shop where students and staff get small essential groceries since students are required to stay within the school compound and they are no nearby stores. In addition, canteen with outdoor areas has been built where students can eat and drink something during the break.

Purpose of the School Shop-canteen project:

  • Offer a service to the Grassland school students, Staff, surrounding schools and the community.
  • Provide 'hospitality' training skills to students and interested members from the community with a special focus on girls and teenage mothers.
  • Generate extra income for the school

 

The chicken project

With a fund from Anhart Foundation, a local chicken barn was built to house 1000 chickens. Though we started with 100 chickens to gain experience and learn from the mistakes. We now have chickens in various stages and the chicken species is a cross between the local and other species chosen on egg and meat production.

Purpose of the chicken projects:

  • Educating and training Grassland school students
  • Generate extra income for the school.
  • Feed school students and staff.

 

The cow project

The school has 5 acres of farm land which is enough to graze at least two cows and two calves. We have one heifer with plan to grow to two with sole purpose to provide milk and manure for the school farmland.

Purpose of the cow projects:

  • Train students in livestock keeping.
  • Generate extra income for the school.
  • Feed school students and staff.

 

School Farm Project

The school sits on 8 acres of fertile land which can be used to grow all kinds of different crops, trees, vegetables and fruit. The school has planned to be able to harvest healthy food all year round and save on food purchases. The farm Land products are not only for school consumption but sale to local markets and nearby Dar Es Salaam city. Since Grassland School is a hands-on school with the aim to ensure self-sufficiency, the school eats what it produces and all students and staff support participate in the production of food. The School farm has chili peppers, green leafy vegetables, okra, papaya trees, mango and orange trees, cashew nut trees, sweet potatoes and cassava gardens that are available throughout the year.

Purpose of the School Farm Project:

  • Student training as part of a fixed training program for student for environmental awareness and healthy living.
  • Generate extra income for the school.
  • Feed school students and staff.


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