• New desks for Jibondo school
    Desks for Jibondo School

News

Here we share news about the latest Trust activities and how funds are being used to support education and sustainable development. We celebrate successes and share challenges.

Recent Graduates 

Congratulations to all this year’s students. We celebrate their achievements!

Difficult Decisions and unexpected cheer

As the Trust’s fortunes are very much linked to the Lodge, funding took a hit through Covid and has taken time to recover. This meant that in 2024 we took the painful decision to suspend our support for the kindergarten and years 1-4 of secondary school. This enabled us to maintain our funding of school bursaries for the critical years of 5 and 6 and for all young people in diploma and degree level education.  We were concerned that this might impact secondary school attendance, but when we reviewed the data at the end of the year, we noticed that there was little change in the numbers of children attending secondary school. It seems that secondary school has become more the norm for Chole children. Real progress considering no child had completed secondary school 25 years ago! We were also pleased to see that some local volunteers had taken the initiative to provide some basic kindergarten services.

This year our finances have begun to improve, thanks to our committed regular donors and some new friends from Germany, Sweden and Australia - thank you! We have decided to adjust our strategy on bursaries. We will restart our support for the kindergarten, maintain our focus on higher level education bursaries AND widen our efforts to other projects that support sustainable development of the islands through education, aligning our efforts with other local initiatives to increase impact.

This means that educational bursaries in 2025 will be £16,500 compared to only £11,500 in 2024 but lower than the £23,000 in 2023. This releases funds of £6,500 for the kindergarten and £8,000 for projects to improve facilities at Chole Primary school and the new Jibondo secondary school.

Jibondo Secondary School

The new school in Jibondo ward is on a neighbouring island and has been established to serve the Chole, Jibondo and Juani communities. It is becoming a popular alternative to secondary school on Mafia island for Chole students. Whilst the quality of education is good, infrastructure is poor. Improving school facilities is critical to its success. The photograph shows much needed desks and chairs funded by the Trust being transported to the school. Good publicity for Chole too! Funding is also being provided for much needed kitchen facilities.  

Sustainable Development through Education

Environmental issues are becoming a priority and increasingly we are working with other initiatives to ensure our goals are aligned and impact is maximised. The Small Islands Organisation Home - SMILO  has prepared a development plan which recognises the need to restore the area’s natural environment as a part of sustainable development. It has also invested in the provision of cleaner energy on Jibondo.

When tourism stopped during Covid, local people lost their jobs and turned back to fishing, which impacted the health of the reef eco-system. Out of this Roped Of Hope was born to regenerate the reef The Ropes of Hope. It has instigated an environmental learning programme in Jibondo school to raise awareness of the importance of managing the marine environment, teaching practical skills for a sustainable future.

Kindergarten 

The Chole Mjini Trust Fund has long been a supporter of the kindergarten because of its vital role in early years learning and nutrition, preparing children for school. It also allows mothers to take on other activities which support their families’ economic security and health. The volunteer activity last year shows how much the community value it but we want to ensure there is a sustainable plan. We are delighted to restart funding this year and want to secure longer term funding for this brilliant place.

The Trust’s Activities Over the Years

Links to some of our old newsletters below chronicle the progress and challenges of the Chole project; individual success stories, community milestones and the commitment of our supporters in providing funds and volunteering in many different forms. All are united by a love for this beautiful and special place and a belief in the vital importance of education.

Thank you!