The St Joseph Millennium School was established as a kindergarten in 2001 with an enrollment of 40 pupils. Later on, the school progressed by establishing a primary school in 2007. The number of students has increased to about 400 kids as of today. The school is owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam and run by the Usambara Sisters of Tanga congregation at St. Theresa Mafia Mission Diocese of Dar es Salaam.
Most of the children living on the island are from very poor families which cannot afford not only to pay for their school fees, but also to buy them food. The school decided to offer them at least a basic education that can help their future through support from different organisations. The school has decided to implement a fishing project to secure finances that can cover expenses and provide fish for feeding the children, as it is one of the few nutritious foods available on the island.
The age of pupils ranges from 3 to 14 years, and their number is expected to reach 500 units in the coming years.
The congregation is asking for funds to purchase all the fishing equipment needed to start up the project, including a fibered boat, a boat engine, fishing nets, fuel, a boat engine operating license, insurance, and other related costs.
Local available contribution is equal to €. 1.760,000 while the requested project financing is €. 31.842,00
Detailed breakdown:
Fibreglass boat: €.10.515
Engine: €.6980
Fishing equipment: €. 1.820
Cold store: €. 3.195
Electricity (12 months): €. 1.065
Trasports: €. 887
Company registration fee: €. 445
Insurances: €. 310
Fuel (6 months): €. 8.385
TOTAL: €. 33.602