OUR MISSION
Bright English Medium School (BEMS) is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in the rural Maasai area of ​​Loliondo, in northern Tanzania.
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Initially founded as an orphanage operated out of the home of founders and directors Baraka Eliud and Juliana Nzuna to ensure primary needs such as food, clothing and shelter for the children of local Maasai communities, in 2009 BEMS became a certified English school which has a mission of fighting ignorance, poverty and disease through education and community involvement
Mr. Baraka and Mrs. Juliana
The great capacity for vision and strong courage and social commitment of the Mr. Baraka and Mrs. Julianna, together with the generous donations received, have determined the overwhelming success of the initiative. From just 40 students and three teachers, accommodated in a single classroom of a wooden building, to the 300 students and 17 teachers today divided into two masonry units, the Nursery School and the Primary School.
We have already accomplished quite a lot in the past couple of years. 8 classrooms were built, whereby two of them are being used as temporary dormitories for the boys, as the amount of children is grows every year. 300 kids are currently enrolled in the school and more than 200 of them are living with us. We have 18 teachers and 9 support staff.
THE PROJECT
The project is still very much incomplete and there are many challenges we are facing on a daily basis. Our most pressing challenges include:
Housing for our Vulnerable Boarding Students and Orphans
The girl's dormitory that we were able to finish building in 2020 is at maximum capacity so the boys have to sleep in the classrooms. Our biggest need is to build a new dormitory and washroom for these boys as a classroom is no place to sleep. Additionally we have add been notified by the Tanzanian government that this is strictly not allowed and the dormitory must be built ASAP. While we have already purchased the bricks, the total estimated cost of building and materials is $50,000 USD, over 7.5 times the average annual wage in Tanzania. Find out how you can help this project here.
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Access to Running Water
We have currently installed an underground water tank but need to install a water pump to have running water for the sinks and toilets. This will be a massive leap to improving hygiene, health, and safety for the school children.​
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Supplying Necessary Facilities for Boarding Students
We are currently supporting 1/3 of the students to live and come to school as they can not afford it. As we do not receive money from the government, we rely on the low school fees and donations to supply facilities like food, water, clothes, hygiene articles, beds. Click here to learn how you can support these students.
The bricks that will be used to build the boys dormitory
The Maasai People
The Uncle of one of our students wearing a traditional Maasai shuka
Of the more than 130 distinct ethnic groups in Tanzania, the Maasai are the largest, consisting of 16% of the population. They are most highly concentrated in the Northern region of the country along the border with Kenya, where BEMS is located. As the Maasai typically live in rural areas far from the school, many of the children that live in the dormitories are Maasai.
BEMS today offers children, mostly from poor Maasai families, the opportunity to access quality education and thus be able to choose their own horizons of life.
The Maasai people boast very rich culture and traditions, but children often do not have access to education, due to a social system based on agriculture and semi-nomadic pastoralism that obliges even the youngest to work or because they have to marry at an early age. The scarce attention to the most elementary rules of hygiene and prevention has made the Maasai population particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases. Without education, these children would not be able to understand what other options they might have in life and the tools to pursue them.
Our History
Mr. Baraka was born in Kigoma, in Western Tanzania and moved to Arusha in 1999 to work for a Swedish Company as a Radio FM programmer. He stayed there for 5 years and then met Juliana, who was born here, in Sakala village / Loliondo. She studied at a public school in the area and then moved to Arusha to study electrical engineering at a technical college. Juliana introduced Mr. Baraka to the Loliondo region and together they rented a house.
The field in which the first classes were held on the ground
A few years later, they came up with the idea of creating a private educational school and daycare for Maasai orphans and the most vulnerable children of the region. With their common ideal of helping others, they started the Bright English Medium School in 2009.
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From 2010 - 2012 Mr. Baraka and Juliana bought more land to be able to build proper school facilities. By 2012 there were about 100 students enrolled. Juliana was also involved in an NGO to educate about HIV / AIDS. By doing so, she came in contact with volunteers from abroad. In 2012 the first volunteer from the USA supported Mr. Baraka and Juliana in the school project and opened the door for new volunteers to come to the school. From then, different volunteers joined the project and new ideas were brought in to expand and develop the school. From 2012 - 2016 Mr. Baraka, Juliana, and volunteers from around the world focused on building the two main classroom buildings of the school. Times were really challenging, as the government put up many requirements to be fulfilled. In 2016, the two main buildings were completed. The first building consists of three classrooms, the other one of two classrooms and one teachers office. By this time, the official registration of the school was approved. The first students were able to move to school and slept in classrooms while others were still living in the home of Mr. Baraka and Juliana. In 2017, the first graduation of class 7 took place. In 2018, the kitchen house was built by four German volunteers, and by then, approximately 200 students were enrolled in the school. The boys slept on school grounds whereas the girls slept in various buildings around the home of Mr. Baraka and Juliana.
In 2019, all students moved to the school and temporary buildings were built to create more space, as classrooms were mostly used as dormitories; two classes shared one room. In 2020, the girls dormitory building was finally built so they didn't have to sleep in the classrooms. We have come a long way, but there is still much to do, and we have never stopped our strive to bring education and good living to the children of this area.
Baraka Eliud (left) and Juliana Nzuna (right)
Founders and Co-directors of BEMS
Our Team
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Lydia Zakayo
Administrator, Volunteer Coord.
Njake Saitoti
Head Teacher, Kiswahili
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Jenepher Laizer
Class 1
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Marco Ezekiel
Academic Teacher, Social Studies
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Omary Mwanja
Deputy Head Teacher, English
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Renatha Tango
Pre-Unit
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Adam Onomi
Maths and Science
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Zaida Kidesu
Baby Class
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Yohane Maganga
Maths and Science
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Allen Mushi
Manager
Happyness Malaki
Class 2
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Ashiraz Mhema
Civics
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Joackim Josephat
Class 3
Anna Mollel
Middle Class
We Would Love to Hear from You!
If you want to hear more about the school, sign up to volunteer, learn how to donate or contact us for any reason at all, please fill out the form to the right or message us directly at:
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+255753044751
Or via social media: