Agape Learning Center

Once again, Agape Learning Center, a non-governmental organization in Moshi District – Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania has, in cooperation with Partnership in Learning, a non-governmental organization based in Sweden under The Danderyd Church, ran a women seminar in Chekereni, a rural village within Moshi Rural District Council.

Participants in the week’s-long seminar that ran from February 06 to 10, 2012 became very enthusiastic because of the topics that were covered in the seminar. Papers covered by resource persons professional in their particular fields included: entrepreneurship; its importance, how to become an entrepreneur, and the development of an entrepreneur. This training was given by a university graduate in business and commerce Mr. Richard Makari.

On the last day of the seminar-week, Mr. Makari went on with another paper covering; how to run entrepreneurial entities; small and medium scale enterprises. He described what a commercial entity is; planning for a commercial entity; and needs in commercial undertaking. Then he covered on project evaluation and proper keeping of commercial data before finalizing with Proper recording of business transactions in elementary bookkeeping.

A second paper delivered by a competent lawyer and a practicing magistrate in The Resident Magistrate’s Court at Kilimanjaro-Moshi, Hon. Lugano Kasebele covered the most interesting; women rights in the marriage law. Her third paper looked into the cases of man domineering versus women rights in inheriting matrimonial property. Then came her fourth paper that covered on women rights in the two Tanzanian land laws; occupation and owning urban land and occupation and owning rural land. This was followed by her fifth paper that focused on Tanzanian cultural practices versus women rights in the land laws.
In many local cultural practices, women are not allowed to inherit land in cases of demise of their spouses although the law of the land allows. Teaching the local women their rights in the laws as opposed to the cultural practices is the focal point of Agape Learning Center seminars.

Women Learning Their Legal Rights in The Laws

Sr. Dorah Mrema educating participants

Women listening to Sr. Dorah Mrema

Innes, The Humble Volunteer

After a long stay in Tanzania, Ms Innes Ritchie the longest VSA serving volunteer at Agape Learning Center, has at last gone back to her home country, New Zealand. We really appreciate her work at Agape Learning Center, we shall miss her. The Center has had in different times, received a number of volunteers from abroad but Innes has been the longest working volunteer at The Center.

Innes joined the working staff of Agape Learning Center in the first week of March, 2010 and has flown back to New Zealand on the first day of September, 2011. She has done wonderful job in training trainers at The Center and much more. She has improved delivery of ICT Training at Agape Learning Center; Improved ICT course content offered at The Center; Enhanced profile of the Center within Kilimanjaro Region; and introduced good management and quality assurance processes to support the ICT Training at The Center. Amongst ICT Trainers who will never forget Innes for what they benefited from her are Brenda Simon Chuwa, Adam Massawe, and Simon Murray Kyara.

Innes introduced New Training materials: Computer Based Training Manuals; Tasks, Class Examples and Quizzes; New Exams; Course Outlines; Student Records; Class Organization; VETA documents; electronic version of Agape Tutor Store; Electronic version of IT Classes; and Electronic Version of Training Room Setup.

In marketing and publicity, she designed Brochures; website and extras.  There are a lot more to write on Innes, but in summary she has done marvelous job for Agape Learning Center that cannot be forgotten.

Also, working staff members at Agape Learning Center will not forget Mr. Kenneth Heraty, Innes’ husband. After about ten months stay in Tanzania, Innes was joined by her husband a professional carpenter who also volunteered in his profession in re-designing and making some furniture at Agape Learning Center for which we appreciate and express our gratitude.

It is the hope of The Center that the duo will in one time visit Tanzania and The Center again; We Welcome them back!

Innes and Kenneth enjoying farewell lunch at ALC

Innes giving a farewell address to staff at ALC

Kenneth giving a farewell address to staff at ALC

From 22 June to 24 June 2011, five staff members from the Same Urban Water Authority attended a short course at Agape Learning Center. The course was organised and taught by Devota Momburi from Hai District Water Supply Project using the IT facilities at Agape.

Same Water Authority has decided to use the computer based billing and accounting system developed for the Hai Water Project, and the course provided initial training in the use of this system. Using a Microsoft Access database, the system covers billing, customer support, fault reporting, maintenance schedules etc, and has proved very successful in Hai.

The Same participants were very pleased with the expert training and facilities provided here at Agape. Agape staff members also got the opportunity to see the system in action and participate in some of the training.

This is a new website for Agape Learning Center. With support from volunteers Linus, Rickard and Innes, the Agape staff have redesigned the website and added new features including staff photos, a brief history of Agape and better news facilities.

We hope you like it – karibuni Agape and its website!

Agape Learning Center has recently added a number of advanced computer courses to its training schedule. With the assistance of Innes Ritchie, our volunteer from New Zealand, courses in web design, data analysis with SPSS,  graphic design with Photoshop have been developed and are now available at Agape. Check out our brochure for more details.