Building a Better School for Young Maasai
Manyara Ranch School: Conserving Wildlife While Creating Educational Opportunity
A decaying school built in the wrong spot on a bankrupt cattle ranch may
not seem like the logical target of a conservation organization, but AWF looked beyond the surface and saw
Manyara Ranch for what it really was. Today the 44,000-acre working cattle ranch and key wildlife habitat in northern Tanzania has become a model for conservation success in East Africa.
> Learn more about Manyara Ranch and its importance as a key wildlife area
Elephants in the Schoolyard
Amidst the ranch and its wildlife was
Manyara Ranch Primary School. The boarding school catered to the region’s Maasai community and was designed to accommodate 400 students. However, it was woefully overcrowded and served 800 youngsters being taught by a mere 15 teachers in crammed classrooms.
The school was in the same dilapidated condition as other parts of the ranch. It had seen no physical maintenance or repair in over 20 years. Its buildings were shabby and lacked electricity. The rudimentary water distribution system consisted of a single borehole that provided saline water for laundry and bathing, and did not meet health standards for consumption due to elevated sulfur levels.
Additionally, the school was located in the middle of an important wildlife corridor, which meant that the pupils shared their schoolyard with elephants, lions and other species. Yet despite the school’s dim, overcrowded classrooms, tired facilities and frequent wildlife disturbances, its students consistently ranked among the best in Tanzania.
Bright School, Bright Students
Due to the obvious hazards, land-use conflict and the school’s ramshackle condition, AWF and fellow stakeholders sought to relocate the school by rebuilding the campus in a safer position that was closer to community resources and services. Doing so provided an unparalleled example of how conservation can actually enhance the lives of people who share their backyard with wildlife. With support from several key visionary donors like the Annenberg Foundation, AWF has created an entirely new school that is as bright as the students within its classrooms.
> See before-and-after photos of the school
A vast body of recent research shows that education is the most effective investment to alleviate poverty in developing countries. The renovation of Manyara Ranch Primary School has set a new standard of quality for primary education in Tanzania and is already being examined as a model for other schools.
