Blog

By: Claire Fedele, International Director This month, Shade celebrated a birthday. It was eight years ago that I boarded a one-way flight to Tanzania with a “yes” in my heart, two suitcases, and a big vision. Eight years later, sitting on a plane for a visit back to Tanzania, the experience was quite different. This […]

Lazaro arrived at Shade School for his first day with tear-filled eyes. His five-year-old understanding of what was to come was sorely lacking. He couldn’t understand Swahili, let alone English, and the strange routines of learning, eating two big meals, and playing were completely foreign.  (Read part one and part two of Lazaro’s story here.) “At the beginning, he […]

The first day of school came and went, and there was no Lazaro. What had gone wrong? The home visit and interview had been positive (if you missed part one of his story, you can catch up here). Lazaro’s mom, Lydia, had come to the Shade Campus for an official meeting, where we shared how we could collaborate […]

At Shade, we believe that all children should have equal access to quality education. Unfortunately, roadblocks such as poverty, disability, location, gender, and stigmatization often prevent this from happening. To help combat this, the Shade scholarship program was developed. Our strategy is straightforward and systematic. Scholarships by the Numbers: 11: Girls on scholarship12: Boys on […]

The heat was stifling but the shade of a thorny tree made it a bit more bearable. Overturned buckets, tires, and broken pieces of chairs were arranged as seating for us, the guests, while two women and a four-year-old boy sat on the dirt nearby. The boy’s name was Lazaro* and he was why we […]

I want to tell you about a wonderful event Shade just hosted in Jamukaya Hall. Shade’s multipurpose building on our Shinyanga campus houses classrooms, staff offices, and a large meeting space called Jamukaya Hall. Jamukaya is a word in the local Sukuma language that means “a place for everyone.”  Jamukaya symbolizes so much of what […]

Thankfulness is all about perspective.  It’s that time of year again, where the days are shorter and the weather is colder. Here in the Seattle area (where I live), it seems as though, even when there is daylight, it is dimmed by drizzle.  A friend of mine took a different perspective on the dreariness. He […]

This is a repost from Claire Fedele’s blog on March 15, 2015. Ever since that day, John has been a part of the Shade family. He lives with one of our teachers and her family and attends a private school. As we look forward, build Shade School, and seek to impact even more children, we […]