During our recent trip to Tanzania, we had the chance to meet with a few of the 4H Career Pathways clubs in the villages of Mkirira and Nyegina. The students were excited to share what they had learned and show off some of the skills that they had developed into money making ventures. Rather than providing you with the updates, we want to let one of the students tell you all about the successes and challenges that they are facing in the clubs. The following is a written report that was prepared by one of the club officers at Nyegina Secondary School.
The Great Awareness on 4H Clubs
4H club in Nyegina Secondary School branch was started in 2017 under the supervision of Sir. Magita and Sir. Moses Deogratius, with 73 members from different classes (Form I,II,III, IV). The aim of this club was to provide more education to its members (students) on proper health, awareness, physical activities, entrepreneurship, and how to prepare the new society after graduating.
With the aid of 4H, we learned how to design a business plan, financial literacy, costing the market, customer care, and how to keep track of profits and losses. This package intended to familiarize members with business skills and positive attitude. 4H Business skills and entrepreneurship has enabled our members in opportunity of initiative taking, ownership of a development commitment, to see things through personal focus and a strong sense of independence, strong sense of ownership. Also to believe that reward comes with our own effort and that one can make things happen with a strong action orientation and belief in self-determination. I believe that in the near future, we shall liberate our community from extreme poverty!
Through the knowledge of 4H club, the club members got more experience on various issues and started to teach or to educate other students on the issue of health care, making proper decisions, behaving well in the community, but also the issue of conserving and preserving environment, especially in our school.
On the issue of environment conservation, the 4H club created and introduced the slogan, “How to make our school green.” This slogan is mainly aimed to inspire the issue of environmental conservation through planting trees, such as fruit trees and other kinds of trees, but also insisted on the issue of planting flowers with the aim of making the environment beautiful. Not only that, but also 4H club influenced the school administration on the issue of planting trees and conserving environment.
The 4H club helped its members to know and to understand their carries (interest) their talent. For example, some of the graduated students were not aware about their carries and their talent, but due to the knowledge they got from 4H, it helped them to choose what to do and where to go after finishing the ordinary level education. For instance, Severa Michael who was not aware about her carries, but after 4H lesson she got the opportunity to join Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) as one of the game reserve. Not only that, but also Agnes Magesa who joined to take the diploma of agriculture at Kilosa in Morogoro region.
Apart from that, the 4H members always think on the practice and words (theory and practice), because the 4H club gives us different lessons in practice, such as candle making, soap making, ornament, and design the used plastic bottles for drip irrigation in order to keep plants in favorable condition of getting enough water, but also the recycle plastic bottles helped to avoid spoilage of environment. Hence, conserve it.
The 4H club helped its members on the preparation care and maintence of the garden to ensure sufficient yield, but also helped by encouraging us by providing seeds of vegetables that were used in the garden.
On the Issue of Basic Health Training
Health being on the care elements in 4H, it has been given great focus in our activities. Doctor Sara helped us on different health issues such as reproductive health and sanitation, but also the issue of basic health management skills where members of the club were trained to protect their bodies from diseases such as STI’s, STD’s, and HIV/AIDS.
Challenges Facing Us
Lack of financial support: the club fails to rule some of the activities because of a shortage of money. For instance, the money to buy pesticide spray and water pipe for irrigation of the garden.Tightening of school time table: this led some 4H members to fail on running different activities, such as gardening and planting trees.Soil pH: The soil pH of the area around us is more acidic and needs to be neutralized or treated by different chemicals or fertilizer.
Strategies of Our Club
Provision of education to its members in order to help the in school life and after school life with their societyTo make large project and pastoralism which will reflect the effort of the members so as to be taken as example in the school (application of classroom theory)Providing the privilege to members after graduating the ordinary educationTo help young people develop self-respect and self-confidence in themselves and hope for the futureTo implement positive change through active learning, caring for interacting with environment.
Our Core Values
Love and Compassion
Hard Work and Persistence
Knowledge and Understanding