Nurturing Minds / SEGA

Nurturing Minds is a nonprofit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts. They directly support the Secondary Education for Girls’ Advancement Girls’ School (SEGA).  Their mission is to support quality education, life skills, and entrepreneurship to help vulnerable girls in Tanzania become leaders in their communities. Nurturing Minds achieves its mission through the development and support of the SEGA. This Tanzanian based school educates and equips bright girls with academic, leadership, and business skills to unleash their individual talents and reach their full potential.

Approximately 278 students study and live on the SEGA Girls’ School campus in grades 8 - 11 and a pre-secondary remedial program. In addition, 191 graduates live off-campus who are currently enrolled in continuing education programs supported by SEGA scholarships.

Over 87% of SEGA students are vulnerable girls who were at high risk of dropping out of their public primary schools before coming to SEGA. Some have lost their parents to malaria, AIDS, or other diseases; some are too poor to afford uniforms, books, or transportation to traditional government schools; some needed to work to support themselves and their families giving them no time to attend school.

The Solution

PTGF donated 11 boxes of art, educational and feminine hygiene supplies to provide the resources necessary to empower 278 female students.  Our mission is to contribute to the growing success rate of the girls that attend SEGA, ultimately leading to them having more opportunities in life and added resiliency in their communities.

Between June and July 2022, over 20 volunteers from Nurturing Minds have collectively transported all of supplies from Boston to SEGA in Morogoro, Tanzania, located 190 km west of Dar es Salaam. This project was funded through fundraisers and donations made to PTGF and Nurturing Minds.

The use of the art supplies will encourage an improved understanding of self and a greater sense of confidence among students and teachers. Art also introduces students to varied avenues of self-expression and allows them to use the more creative side of their brain.

Quality art education promotes emotional development, as well as cognitive achievement, which is a key factor to achieve quality education. Art education is an instrument par excellence that a nation can rely upon to bring about self-reliance. Quality art education produces positive learning outcomes, such as creating positive attitudes to learning, developing a greater sense of personal and cultural identity, and fostering more creative and imaginative ways of thinking in students. 

The feminine hygiene products will empower the girls to gain confidence, avoid disruption in their education and reduce risk to their physical and reproductive health.  We donated a large quantity of disposable pads, soap, single-use wipes, bras, face creams, sunscreen and more.  Our contribution was centered around one goal: provide the necessary resources to support young women, challenge period taboos and stand up to discrimination in communities.

Art Literacy in Tanzania

There are inherent problems that art education in Tanzania is facing such as: shortage of qualified art teachers, inadequate teaching facilities and funding and poor governments. There is a shortage of qualified art teachers and there is the need for a deliberate and purposeful training of art teachers for the nation’s school system. There are many schools that do not have qualified staff to teach art. The other problem areas affecting art education, is inadequate teaching facilities. Most schools are faced with the issue of lack of materials and studios in secondary schools.

Period Poverty in Tanzania

Menstruation in Tanzania is often viewed as taboo and is challenging to manage due to a lack of access to feminine products and sanitation services. With a lack of access to menstrual hygiene products, information, and appropriate sanitation services, women and girls physical or reproductive health is put at risk. The effects of this are detrimental, as it limits education and opportunities for girls and women in Tanzania.

Pads and menstrual products are also often expensive and the Tanzanian government reports that 60% of women live in “absolute poverty”, and due to period poverty, women who are already economically disadvantaged to begin with face greater economic hurdles due to factors such as missing and dropping out of school and missing days of work due to being unable to afford menstrual and sanitary products.