Report on Bandari School Project
Posted by Harry Bracegirdle
on May 10, 2016
The Rotary Club of Port Fairy, and particularly Rotarian Geoff Coxall, have been closely associated with the Bandari School Project over a number of years to build facilities in Mto Wambu in Tanzania.
The volunteers from Port Fairy have grown in 2016 when a group of locals went to Tanzania to complete work on the kindergarten/school built in 2015 and also add a toilet block and chook shed.
Seif Sakate, originally from Tanzania, and his wife, Catherine Ryan from Port Fairy have inspired "Port Farians" to get behind the "Bandari Project" in Seif's hometown of Mto Wambu where he grew up and went to school.
Rotarian, Geoff Coxall, who has just returned from his second trip to Tanzania, reported to the Rotary Club on the achievements of the 2016 program in Tanzania. He particularly noted the acknowledgement of recently deceased Rotarian and club member, Jim Robinson, who went to Tanzania, along with his wife Sue, in 2015. In 2015 Jim and Sue contributed funds to build a road into the village especially to help deliver building materials for the kindergarten project. To this end, and just prior to Jim's passing in April 2016, the village named the road after Jim.
The Rotary Club has assisted the program with financial help as well as sending shoes and soccer balls to Mto Wambu. The Port Fairy Folk Festival Committee provided generous financial support to the 2016 program by donating $6,000 towards the toilet block and chook house.
Seif and Catherine have produced a video detailing the progress of the Bandari Project.