During half term, my mother and I will be revisiting DCT Mvumi School in Tanzania. FHS holds a strong partnership with Mvumi where we sponsor students at the school as well as funding the construction of a new ablutions block, the purchase of new library books and other essential equipment.

Building from my recent TSBA Book Review Award, I asked my mother to buy me some materials to fulfil an idea to make bookmarks, with the help of some fellow Francis Holland students, to bring to the Mvumi students. This is because during my visit I want to emphasise the power of acquiring a good education and how that relates to time. A key step to acquiring a good education is reading so we would like to encourage the students to read by gifting them bookmarks.

The bookmarks mark the curious mind and partnership between FHS and Mvumi School. In this way, students and teachers at our schools can be reminded of the importance of making reading a habit and become motivated to keep acquiring knowledge. Although I was initially worried we wouldn’t be able to make enough bookmarks in time, the diligent support of Ms Brown and 6 girls (5 in Year 10 & 1 Year 9), meant that we managed to finish all of the required bookmarks within the allocated time slot.

I am deeply grateful for all the support that I received – the activity was a huge success, and I cannot wait to see and speak with the students of Mvumi.

Kayla, Year 10