The Story
of Orkeeswa
Local Rotarians Support Innovative School in Tanzania
Orkeeswa School overlooks vast African plains in a remote part of Northern Tanzania
— home to the noble Maasai people. This is the story of how local Rotarians came
to be involved with an innovative school that is transforming lives of Tanzanian youth
through the power of education.
On January 22nd, Chuck Berghoff and Lorena Tuohey of the Morgan Hill Rotary
Club (photo with Sue Berghoff on left) will join other Bay Area Rotarians on a trip to
Tanzania. They are going to meet the students who inspired their Rotary service project
in support of the Orkeeswa School. These young people are the first in their families to
attain secondary and university level education.
Written By Robin Shepherd
T
he beauty of this service project
is that it not only connects
people across nations and
serves a humanitarian need, but it also
supports a holistic, community-based
model of education that happens to
align with Rotary International’s credo of
“service above self.” At Orkeeswa, students
learn that life is about more than self-
betterment. It’s about learning to lead and
to serve one’s community with an attitude
of respect for the dignity of its people.
Tanzania’s Need
While education can break the cycle
of poverty, in some parts of the world,
poverty is the biggest obstacle to obtaining
an education. Orkeeswa School opened
its doors in 2008 to break this cycle. In
the underserved Maasai community of
northern Tanzania’s Monduli Hills, the
traditional Maasai way of life as nomadic
herdsmen is vanishing, leaving many
38
in extreme poverty. Secondary school
education is out of reach for roughly
90 percent of Tanzanian youth. School
fees are upwards of $500 per year for
families whose income may be as little
as $1 per day.
At Orkeeswa, education is free, to all
students. Girls learn side by side with
boys, promoting gender equality. And
unlike boarding schools, Orkeeswa’s
students attend day school in their village
and return home in the evening to share
what they’re learning with their families
and neighbors. True to its mission,
Orkeeswa’s holistic, community-based
model of education balances academics
with extra-curricular activities, life skills
classes and community service.
Orkeeswa’s Founding
Orkeeswa School was co-founded by
Peter Luis, a California native whose early
career as a teacher took him to far-flung
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017
corners of the world. About 12 years ago
he went to work in Tanzania where he
met Raphael Robert, who would become
Orkeeswa’s co-founder, and other passion-
ate educators. There was no secondary
school for miles in any direction and they
wanted to build one. They shared their
vision with local village elders and asked
for their endorsement.
“We walked the village with the
elders, who showed us a 20-acre tract of
their land that they graciously offered to
donate as a site for our school,” Peter said.
“From the beginning, we’ve made it a
priority to engage with community leaders
and students’ families. We’re bringing
educational opportunity to a commu-
nity that traditionally counts on children
to work and contribute to the family’s
welfare, and practices arranged marriages
for its young daughters for a dowry in the
form of cattle.
“For the potential of secondary school
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