‘Tuwapende Watoto’ shining a ray of light

When Ruth Bütikofer guides a visitor around the neat orange buildings that house the Tuwapende Watoto Nursery and Primary School in Bunju B in the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, the pride in her voice is obvious. 

The Swiss citizen has been engaged with the project since 2010 after it was started out as an orphanage in 2005 and since then a lot has changed. 

In 2010, a nursery was added, in 2011 a primary school followed. Both schools teach the children from the orphanage as well as from the surrounding areas. 

For Ruth Bütikofer, it all started during the time when she was an instructor for flight attendants for the airline Swiss (formerly Swissair). 

“A student of mine invested in the program here”, she says. 

Monica Brunner was Ruth’s former student who started the orphanage and asked Ruth whether she would be willing to help start the school.

 “I used to be a teacher, so I wanted to share my knowledge and this was a perfect opportunity,” says Ruth. 

As time passed, Ruth got more interested in the program. Finally, in 2012, Monica Brunner had to step down from her position as the foundation’s president due to health reasons. 

 Indeed, it was so much work that Ruth, 64, was forced to go into early retirement from her job as headmistress of a school in Switzerland.  

“I soon realised that the work for Tuwapende Watoto is not something you can do after your day job,” she explains.

 Thus, instead of really retiring she took on another job which was the organisation of the Tuwapende Watoto’s development as well as to maintain contact with the various donors. 

Today, the school is self-supporting. 

“The goal was to have the school running at its own costs by 2017. We are very proud to say that this is the case already now, a year earlier than planned”. 

The school staff, that teaches approximately 500 pupils, consists of Tanzanian teachers and others from elsewhere.

“We owe many thanks to our headmistress,” she says.

The lady got interested in the project when she came to enroll her own child in primary school. Ruth and her husband were so impressed with the mother and teacher that they hired her on the spot.  

Currently, there are 28 children in the orphanage, aged between 2 and 21. Prisca who is one of the beneficiaries of the orphanage has since left the center and is now studying economics at the University of Dar es Salaam, something that makes Ruth glow with pride.

 “We have grown with the project. For example, the simple fact that children turn into teenagers has proven to be a challenge to the school’s staff. Taking care of toddlers and small kids is a very different issue from taking care of teenagers in the midst of their puberty.”

She adds: For example, we have learnt that clear and concise rules are essential when it comes to dealing with teenagers.

The school’s running costs is financed by the school fees, which covers wages, school supplies as well as the running of the canteen. 

“This is important to me”, Ruth says, “I do not want to be the person that travels here with a suitcase full of money.” 

The money the children’s foundation receives from donors is dedicated to the development of the project, such as building new infrastructure for the growing student population. Among others, the foundation has invested in a solar system, a library and a canteen. 

Additionally, the donor funds also support a number of children whose parents cannot afford to finance the school fees with five children in each class receiving this kind of support. 

Because the foundation ‘Tuwapende Watoto’ is based and registered in Switzerland, a lot of the donor money comes from Swiss donors. 

However, the foundation has also registered in Austria, Tanzania and Germany and the foreigners contributing to the project are all volunteers, who cover their travelling costs themselves. 

According to Ruth in terms of development cooperation, Tuwapende Watoto is not all that influential as the project is comparatively small. 

However the size has been a blessing as it has promoted transparence with the donors therefore building trust. 

“The trust is incredibly important for the work with the donors,” Ruth says, “Many people that donate know me personally, so they know the money is guaranteed to reach the children.” 

A strict rule is for example only to start building new infrastructure when its finance is secured, and under no circumstances shall the foundation pay bribes. 

 “We have a good reputation not only with the donors but also within the region.” The school is popular in the area. Unfortunately, a day will come when we’ll reach our limit and can’t take in any more children”. 

They have had to turn away some parents that wanted to send their children to the school from far away.  The local schools do not see them as a competition as they have been careful to set the school fees comparable to the local situation.

Ruth herself travels to Tanzania regularly. Her visit shortly before Christmas is the eighth time she had been in the country in 2015.

 She and her husband who has invested in the project as well have a room on the school grounds where they stay on such visits. 

Toward the end of last year she was in the country to oversee the next big project: A vocational school on the project’s ground where the new classrooms were due to open by the end of the year. 

As part of her job she will be charged with the duty of making sure the vocational training school is registered. 

 The institute plans to offer training in tailoring as well as horticulture something she believes will support the schools financing. 

For the horticultural training, the foundation has bought a plot of land close to the school’s ground.  

In the long run, Ruth plans to hand the schools’ administration to the people who are working there.

 “Our part is to lay the groundwork, such as building the infrastructure and establish the organisation.” 

She wants to retire from the project as soon as she feels it is established without her help.

 “But even then I will still keep coming to Tanzania; probably I’ll be here the year after too.”

Tuwapende watoto in Bunju B continues to help a lot of children in Tanzania. It is an institution which has helped provide an education to those who cannot pay school fees. Such initiatives give hope to the less fortunate.