The Program

Benefits of Girls' Education

Educating girls benefits all Tanzanians. Women who have attended secondary school provide increased family income and improved quality of life through:

• Better food production and sustainable use of resource
• Becoming part of the labor force
• Better financial and household management
•    Better nutrition and better health practices that result
      in reduced infant and mortality rates and lower risk of
      HIV infection
• Greater support for girls’ education

Scholar Selection Process

Hodari Scholars offers scholarships to qualified girls in the Arusha/Moshi area near Mt. Kilimanjaro, as well as girls who come from other parts of Tanzania.

We work with local primary schools, teachers and village leaders to identify girls in need. Hodari Scholars selects girls on the basis of their

• Primary school records
• National examination results
• Financial need
• Express reasons for wishing to continue their education
• Over all poise in the interview process.

Scholarship Continuation and Monitoring

Hodari Scholars is committed to supporting girls for a four-year period (O Level) as long as they continue to meet the program's criteria. Scholars are required to

• Maintain at least a B average or class ranking of 5 or
above; and
•    Provide progress and grade reports to Hodari Scholars
     and Sponsors and Patrons to whom they have been
     assigned.

Hodari Scholars may also continue to support graduating scholars who receive high marks on their O Level exit exams for two additional years (A Level).

Girls Private Boarding Schools

Girls qualified for secondary school are assigned by the government to co-ed public schools. Most of these schools do not provide boarding and many are far from girls' homes. So, these girls will face long, and sometimes dangerous, commutes. They often arrive home after dark and are then responsible for fetching water, cooking, taking care of younger siblings and other chores in homes that seldom have electricity. This all leaves little opportunity for study.

As a result, at the O Level, Hodari enrolls its scholars in Notre Dame School, a girls private boarding school in Arusha. This insures the scholars have adequate study time, individual teacher attention and the supervision necessary to maintain disciplined study habits.

Scholarship Cost and What It Covers

The cost of a scholarship to attend Notre Dame is around $1,200 a year. Scholarships include tuition, room and board, uniforms, boarding and classroom supplies and other contributions the school may require such as building funds, medical care and security. Hodari Scholars also provides textbooks and funds for tutors where needed.

Generally, scholarships do not include nightwear and non-uniform clothing, pocket money or transportation costs unless the scholar's family or other relatives would suffer considerable hardship or have no means whatsoever to contribute to these expenses.

How Scholarships Are Paid

Hodari Scholars pays all school fees and costs directly into school bank accounts. We require a school's written acknowledgment receipt and an accounting of how the funds are applied to fixed and any approved discretionary costs. No money is given by a school directly to a scholar unless Hodari Scholars has given prior approval.