Short History of Mbeza Schools in Butiama

Mbeza Schools-Butiama officially started in February 2009 with only 8 secondary students. On the first day of the school due to its late commencement, most schools in Tanzania start in January. The very first foundation stone was laid on 1st January 2003 by Mama Loyce Wambura Kirato being the guest of honor, the mother of Mzee Joseph Waryoba Butiku.

After 24 years of service to  the Tanzania Government at State House Mzee Joseph Waryoba Butiku first worked as research assistant and speech writer and then as Private Secretary and Chief of Staff to the President. He decided to pay tribute to his village Butiama in particular but also to the people of the ZANAKI CHIEFDOM. Under their Chief Edward Wanzagi Nyerere, they had volunteered to build a Community Primary School, thus enabling him to go to School at 9 years in January 1947.

Mzee Joseph Waryoba Butiku was born on 12th April 1938 of Mzee William Butiku Nyerere and Loyce Wambura Butiku in Butiama Village. As a boy he grew up from a humble background and was educated through the efforts of his late uncle who was then the Chief of the Zanaki tribe. The uncle upon built the first famous Butiama Primary school, in which Mzee Butiku was enrolled. It was a school but it lacked desks, chairs and materials to suit the big number of pupils.  For one whole year, the pupils sat on stones – turned desks – picked from the neighborhood.

After the death of his beloved daughter Amanda Neema Mbeza in 1997, Mzee Butiku promised at the funeral to do something extra ordinary to commemorate her short life. The untimely and sudden departure of Mbeza touched the hearts of all family members. As a child Mbeza was born mentally ill which marked her as a special child requiring special care. In her short life, she taught the family the greatest thing of all, LOVE. She loved babies, she loved leading as she was made a class prefect when she was in her primary school in STD 3 in Arusha School in 1993. She was a peace maker and charming, she loved responsibilities as she knew she was the older of her younger sister Sangu. She adored and loved learning, she learned to write and read and she was good with her hands, drawing, crafting and knitting which she was taught at her school. Above all she loved her parents with whom she conducted discussions on various issues. She was fond of asking questions.

Having all these in mind, Mzee Butiku, hand in hand with his family decided to establish a school under the ownership and management of a registered Company - Mbeza Butete Trust LTD. Also due to the fact that Mr. Butiku remembers to sat down on stones, turned desks and arranged in rolls on the floor while he was in Primary School, he thought of giving opportunity to students who will get better education within a more conducive environment. 

Therefore, Mbeza Schools are private and run by a non-profit organization, Mbeza Butete Trust LTD. under a Board of Directors. Up to this day all the infrastructure including some classrooms and different offices for all academic works has been supported by Mr. Butiku who is also the manager and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mbeza Butete Trust LTD. So far no assistance has come from any financial institutions inside or outside the country. Banks are still hesitant to support the Schools due to a fear of risks in a growing school.

Today Mbeza Schools have about 200 students of whom 52 were Form IV candidates and have left the school at the end of the academic year 2012. During the first year the board of Directors of Mbeza Butete Trust LTD had decided, due to the poor educational background of many students to start with a single stream, instead of the approved 2 streams. After four years, the school managed to bid farewell to the very first Secondary Form 4 class and pupils in STD 4 of primary who usually have National Exams and later are permitted to join STD 5 and Form 5 respectively. Mbeza Schools are looking forward to the Trust to initiate more projects to help provide scholarship for the less privileged and those parents/guardians who cannot afford to pay the school fees. A Teacher’s Training College and a school for disabled children are part of a longer term of the Development Program.

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THE  CHALLENGES
However, Mbeza Schools are facing many challenges. Being located in the rural area it attracts students from local families who are not so well off financially but they are trying their best to pay fees for their children. The Schools’ Development Program includes building a dining hall, 2 girls' dormitories, 3 Science laboratories, a dispensary and 4 latrines. There is a big problem of water even after installing eight tanks with a storage capacity of 5000 litres each. They are not sufficient to support the teaching and non teaching staff and the students, as well as the local people. Each year there has been an effort to buy more tanks to help alleviate the water shortage. More efforts are made to help in accessing finance so as to solve most of the problems facing the schools. These challenges are immense for a young Trust and new Schools.