“Education is important”
Farmer shares his experience
A refurbishment and upgrade of classrooms at the local school has helped farmer Musa Rashid Malale decide to send his children there instead of sending them away for their education.
“Education is important. It is the foundation for everything. Without education, you cannot do something good”, says Mr Musa Rashid Malale, a tobacco farmer in Tabora Region. Mr Malale sells his tobacco exclusively to JTI, but like many of the farmers in communities where ARISE operates, Mr Malale does not only grow tobacco. He also farms maize, potatoes and cassava, and owns a large range of livestock. His produce is a source of food and nutrition for his family, which includes six children, and his community.
Mr Malale used to consider the school facilities in his community to be of a very poor standard. His children used to come home dirty and in need of a bath, having spent the day sitting on the dilapidated classroom floor. Because of the poor conditions, he sent his eldest son Bakari to the neighboring region of Shinyanga to attend school and live with his aunt. In more recent times however, because of the refurbishment and upgrading of classrooms provided by ARISE, Mr Malale sent his other children to the local school.
“I believe that by sending my children to school, not only will they do better in their future life, but they’ll also be able to take care of me. The education facilities have improved in our village. We now have teachers wishing they could come to work in our village because of the improvements!”, said Mr Malale. “And our children can now go a whole week without having a bath because they no longer have to sit on the floor!” he joked.
