Support Us

Be a Friend

Welcome to Bethlehem Star Pre- and Primary School. As we try to give as many kids as possible the opportunity to become a student of our school, we are really thankful for any donations we receive. We have several projects that we try to finance as they are:

• Finding sponsors that can take a part of the school-fees for students that cannot afford it (~ 480$ for day-students and 800$ for boarding-students per year)
• Optimizing our school for students with special needs (~ 5.700$ in general)
• Finding sponsors to get text books for our pupils (25$ per year)

So, we are looking for one-time donations as well as regular donations in form of sponsorships. If you want to support us, you can use the following link to donate via credit card: https://shop.directpay.online/paymybills/BethlehemStarPreandPrimarySchool Or send your donation direct to our Bank Account: Bank: TCB Bank | A/c Name: Bethlehem Star Pre and Primary School | A/c No. 210207000057 | Swift: TAPBTZTZ

You can also Support through Tupendane Foundation Initiative: https://shop.directpay.online/paymybills/TupandeFoundationAndInitiative or  send your donation direct to our Bank Name: CRDB Bank Plc | A/c No. 0150624920900 |  Swift: CORUTZTZ

Be a Sponsor

Sponsoring a student of our school means to give him or her the opportunity to reach higher education. As we try to sponsor as many kids as possible, we are thankful for every small amount that we receive.

If you want to support one of our students, you can fill in the following foam and we will contact you and provide you further information about how it works to be a sponsor.

You can find more information about sponsorships and our school on the FAQ-side and information about the kids in their profiles. If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Our successes:

• Dennis Mollel (Pre-Unit) sponsort by Nora
• Brilliance Richard Pallagyo (Class 6) sponsored by Konstantin Bodenschatz

Volunteer Program

As a volunteer in our School you will be doing different activities such as; teaching, sports, playground monitor, field trips, ICT activities including computer lab, website development and optimization, taking care of small maintenance and construction around the school, help in fund raising activities as the school is still under construction. This school is still underfunded and consequently under-staffed. This is where you come in!

Whether you are a qualified teacher or a student, you could help to make a big impact on the lives of underprivileged children in as a volunteer teaching in our School

What will you be doing?
Our School is very vibrant with most pupils extremely willing to learn. Working in a our school, you may be asked to take lessons in English, Math or Science, but don't worry if you feel your strengths lie outside these areas - the children you teach will benefit from your enthusiasm and your ability to construct sentences in English. Games and sports are another important part of school life, so please be prepared to get involved with these as well.

You will spend some days working alongside with a local teacher or established teaching volunteer, but we also encourage our volunteers to bring their own ideas and to get stuck in! You can make some improvement in a classroom using your own initiatives this will help to develop your skills as a teacher whilst providing help to those most in need.

Typical Week
Volunteers in our School are generally expected to work at their placement five days a week. Weekday mornings will start with breakfast with Students and other volunteers at our School Dining hall, with school starting at around 8.00am. At around 13pm you’ll get a break for lunch, which you can take with other volunteers, Students and local staff. In the afternoons you’ll be taking additional classes or work but there is often time for games and sports and volunteers will help run these.

You will generally finish your placement teaching at around 15pm, though you’ll find that the children will often want you stay around to play! After your placement you’ll get a chance to unwind with other volunteers, Boarding Students and local team members over dinner, and we often organize games and activities of our own in the evenings. Weekends are also your own but there are always plenty of extra Adventures to do in Tanzania!

Living At Bethlehem Star Pre & Primary School
Volunteers will stay with host families under special arrangement.
Email: volunteers@bethlehemstar.ac.tz / friends@bethlehemstar.ac.tz / director@bethlehemstar.ac.tz

Optional Extras
Bethlehem Star Pre & Primary School may help Volunteers to arrange for several excursions including Wildlife safaris to National Parks, mountain climbing, weekend gateways and beach holidays. Contact us through:

Email: info@bethlehemstar.ac.tz
Phone: +255 754260519 | +255 754826823

Support Our Projects

In Tanzania, Primary school education is theoretically free. However, you have to pay for uniforms, books, specific supplies for the practical work organized by the teachers, as well as transport and food to get to class every day. Unfortunately, the majority of poor families don’t have enough income to cover all these expenses.

According to the Bank of Tanzania's report on zonal economic efficiency of 11^th October 2023, per capita income is Tanzania Shillings 2.84 million or USD 1136 which is equivalent to USD 95 per month this amount is barely able to meet its basic needs.

The effect of COVID 19 pandemic, the war between Russia and Ukraine, Soaring food and energy prices are eroding real incomes, triggering a high global cost-of-living crisis, particularly for the most vulnerable groups and this include Tanzanian communities. This has directly affected the smooth running of Bethlehem Star School and the good intention to help vulnerable children and less privileged families.

 Access to education plays a major role in enhancing the overall quality of life and supporting economic development in local communities. By improving educational infrastructure, offering tuition fees, school transport, and providing learning materials, we can equip young lives for a brighter future. And, by empowering parents we are enabling them to send their children to school, putting them on the path out of poverty.

Spread The Word

Share on Social Media

You can create wider social awareness through your favorite social media 

What you can do!

• Write a post on your blog and link to our website.
• Contribute and share content from our Facebook and Instagram pages
• Share stories, pictures and videos about the cause.

FAQ

Why support a private school?

Unlike in Germany, attending a private school is nothing special in Tanzania, because the conditions under which the children learn in state schools are anything but good. It is not uncommon for there to be more than a hundred students in one class. Only 50% of them pass the final exams. Even though a successful exam in the seventh grade is a prerequisite for admission to a secondary school. Therefore, many parents try to place their children in a private school, for example an English medium school. They use a major part of their income to do this, and it is not always enough. Our goal is to relieve the families there and give as many children as possible access to higher education.

What is an English Medium School?

English Medium Schools are a type of school used by many private primary schools in Tanzania. On the one hand, these schools are characterized by smaller classes with up to 40 students, on the other hand, lessons (except for Swahili lessons) are held in English from pre-school onwards. Many primary schools decide to do this, since English is also the language of lessons in all secondary schools. As so as the children enter secondary school, this gives them a great advantage over their classmates, whose English is usually not good enough to follow the lessons.

What does pre- and primary school mean?

In Tanzania it is common (due to cost reasons) to place the children in the pre-school instead of in a day-care. This usually begins at the age of three, but parents are also free to send their children there earlier. As a rule, basic reading and writing skills are required when entering elementary school. Children acquire this during their three years in pre-school.

What comes next?

After primary school, which ends in seventh grade in Tanzania, the children can attend secondary school if they are successful in the final exams. After four years there, some of the students go on to either a high school or a college before being allowed to attend university after another two years. Those students who don't make it through high school or college can either get an education if their parents' money allows it, or like most people here, they can become self-employed; that is, as farmers, businesspeople or in public transport.

What do I get from a sponsorship?

A sponsorship is a voluntary donation. It is intended to support children in Arusha and the surrounding area with an extensive school education to find a secure and fairly paid job (which is difficult due to the high population and the associated high level of competition in all sectors). Since we are a Tanzania-based organization that is not registered in Germany (because this would cause high costs), the donation is unfortunately not tax-deductible. 

Nevertheless, you will receive a small thank you from us or your sponsored child in the form of regular e-mails once or twice a year. We want to bring you closer to the African culture and the daily life of the children. The letters are usually in English but will be translated by our volunteers if requested. We will also be happy to send your answer to the relevant student.

What will change as a result of my donation?

If you want to take on a sponsorship to pay the school fees, you enable a child to attend our school and thus access higher education. For boarding students in our boarding school, daily meals and accommodation are also guaranteed. In this way you have a decisive influence on the future of your sponsored child. You can find out about his/her progress, you will receive regular information from us, and you can also visit the student here in Tanzania, should you ever be in the area.

How do I know that my donation will go where I want it to?

We are a pre- and primary school registered in Tanzania. Our registration number is 135-690-074 (taxpayer identification number of Tanzania revenue authority). Our location is: Magadrisho Street USA-River. Our address for letters is: P.O.Box 197 USA-River. You are welcome to follow our activities on our social media channels. There is also the possibility to visit us as a sponsor or volunteer. You can also contact us at any time by e-mail or telephone (this is usually associated with costs as a call abroad). 

How does a sponsorship work?

To become a sponsor, simply fill out the form that we have provided for you on the “Sponsorship” page. You can enter the name of the child, the name(s) of the children you would like to sponsor or simply the number of children and we will then find the right sponsored children for you. After that we will contact you to confirm. If you want to take a partly-sponsorship, we will contact you as soon as we found sponsors for the rest amount. 

The school year in Tanzania always starts in January, so, if possible, transfer your donation before January 1st. The best way to do this is to set up a standing order. We will inform you about the receipt of your payment. The aim of a sponsorship is to accompany a child on its way for several years. However, you can end the sponsorship at any time by contacting us. If your sponsored child leaves our school (after the seventh grade), we will also notify you. Then you can end your sponsorship, or we will assign a new child that you can support. You have the right to end the sponsorship at any time. In this case we would like to ask you to notify us before you stop making payments.

Why are there different amounts needed for different students?

The parents of our students spent a high amount of their income paying for school-fees (including needs like food, transport, etc.). Unfortunately, sometimes even this is not enough. The goal of our sponsorship program is to fill the gap between the parent-paid-amount and our school-fees. In addition, some of our pupils have special needs (like health insurance) that we want to sponsor.

Who is my contact person?

Your first point of contact at our school is: +255754697887 (School Manager), +255766362210 (Junior Director), info@bethlehemstar.ac.tz. If you need a German-speaking contact person: julia@bethlehemstar.ac.tz