A generous grant from the Switzerland-based foundation will enable 10 students and four teachers from Loyola High School in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to visit campus next month.
The Center for Social Impact received a $90,000 grant from the Switzerland-based Benina Foundation to strengthen its partnership with Loyola High School in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The grant will enable 10 students and four teachers from the Jesuit high school to visit Fairfield University's campus next month.
Loyola High School educates young men and women of diverse economic backgrounds. During their visit, the students — representing a variety of grade levels — will participate in workshops in computer science, math, and educational technology, as well as writing, said Melissa Quan, EdD, director of the Center for Social Impact. The Tanzanian teachers will engage in professional development and have opportunities to network with Fairfield professors in order to consider future academic collaborations.
The students will kick off their visit by participating in the Ubuntu Writing Academy led by Bryan Ripley Crandall, PhD, associate professor of secondary English education and director of the Connecticut Writing Project (CWP) Fairfield. Many of the students who participate in Ubuntu Academy are immigrant and refugee youth.
“We look forward to hosting friends from Loyola High School, and having them participate in National Writing Programs,” said Dr. Ripley Crandall. “Several years ago, we were thrilled to have Janet Gabone, a teacher from the school, take part. She returned to Tanzania and used her leadership to support literacy in all ways possible. Now she’s earning a PhD in the United States. This is why it’s an absolute joy that more educators and youth from the school will join us this summer. We love knowing our investment in writing excellence is local, national, and even international."