A child who uses a wheelchair or crutches can be enrolled at school, have a uniform, have a desk waiting — and still not be able to reach the classroom. At Bethlehem Star Pre & Primary School the barrier is a set of steps. We are raising TZS 15,000,000 to replace that barrier with a ramp.
Project at a glance
- Location: Bethlehem Star Pre-Primary School, Usa River, Arusha
- What it is: a permanent reinforced-concrete accessibility ramp with handrails
- Who it serves: pupils with reduced mobility, and any pupil, parent or staff member who cannot manage steps
- Funding target: TZS 15,000,000 (approximately USD 6,000)
- Part of: TUFOI's Accessible School Campaign
The right exists. The access does not.
Tanzania has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, committing to inclusive, quality education for every child. The commitment is real and it is national policy.
What often remains is the building itself. A school can welcome a child with a disability, enrol them, and still present a flight of steps between the gate and the classroom. Where that happens, the right to education exists on paper while attendance quietly becomes someone else's problem to solve — usually the family's.
This is a solvable problem. It is a construction task with a known cost.
The Accessible School Campaign
TUFOI's campaign — Make School Accessible to Children with Disabilities — focuses on the built environment in both public and private schools: removing the physical barriers that keep children out of classrooms they are entitled to be in.
Bethlehem Star Pre-Primary School is the first site. It is a school TUFOI already works with closely, where we have installed a solar power system and a clean-water borehole, and where 481 pupils and 34 staff are on site every day.
What TZS 15,000,000 buys
We publish the full bill of quantities because a costed project is easier to trust than a round number.
| Item | Qty | Unit | Rate (TZS) | Amount (TZS) |
|---|
| High tensile reinforcement, 16mm bars | 20 | pcs | 47,000 | 940,000 |
| High tensile reinforcement, 12mm bars | 15 | pcs | 24,000 | 360,000 |
| High tensile reinforcement, 10mm bars | 44 | pcs | 17,500 | 770,000 |
| High tensile reinforcement, 8mm bars | 10 | pcs | 13,000 | 130,000 |
| Binding wire | 15 | kg | 3,000 | 45,000 |
| Marine board, 18mm | 15 | pcs | 50,000 | 750,000 |
| Timber 2×4 | 20 | pcs | 12,000 | 240,000 |
| Timber posts, 12ft | 80 | pcs | 4,000 | 320,000 |
| Wire nails | 20 | kg | 4,000 | 80,000 |
| Sand | 25 | m³ | 30,000 | 750,000 |
| Aggregates | 20 | m³ | 60,000 | 1,200,000 |
| Portland cement 42.5N | 100 | bags | 17,000 | 1,700,000 |
| Materials subtotal | | | | 7,285,000 |
| Labour, 20% | | | | 1,457,000 |
| Handrail | | | | 5,500,000 |
| Floor screed | | | | 758,000 |
| Total | | | | 15,000,000 |
The handrail is the largest single line after materials, and deliberately so. A ramp without a secure rail is a slope, not access.
Built to last
This is reinforced concrete, not a temporary fixture. Once it is built it requires no funding, no maintenance budget and no renewal — it simply continues working for every pupil who needs it, for as long as the school stands.
How you can help
We welcome support from individuals, organisations and institutional partners. Contributions of any size go directly toward construction, and TUFOI's accounts are independently audited each year.
If your organisation works in disability inclusion or education access, we would also be glad to talk about extending the campaign to other schools.
