After much research, Susan Jefferson, Safari Scholars founder, decided that the best way to make a difference was to provide funds for education. It has been proven time and again that a quality education is one of the quickest paths to self-sufficiency. There are many Tanzanians who desperately want an education but are unable to pay for it.

 

In Tanzania, the government funds primary school (seven years) but does not fund secondary school (six years). Scholarships are few, which means that many highly motivated and capable students have no way to continue their education past the age of 14. Additionally, schools are often under-funded and lack some of the basic necessities such as textbooks and laboratory equipment.

 

Suumu Secondary School, Manio, Tanzania

Jefferson enlisted the help of her travel companions, Betty Brady, a public relations expert at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, and Virginia Brady, an elementary school teacher in Philadelphia. During their trip in the summer of 2007, they visited a variety of local schools to get a sense of what was needed.

 

Suumu Secondary School

 

When they visited Suumu Secondary School in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania, they knew they had found the place to begin. The school, a joint community-government secondary school, was started by three villages in 2005. The school receives minimal government funding; most financial support comes from the community. The headmaster, teaching staff, and students are all highly motivated and doing the best they can with the resources they have, but there is still much to be done.

 

While in Tanzania, the founders made arrangements with the headmaster, the chairman of the school board, and a local bank to stay informed of the school's needs and to ensure the funds reach the school as quickly as possible.

 

Founders

 

Susan Jefferson is an entrepreneur with 17 years of marketing and business experience. A veteran of corporate America (Procter & Gamble and the Kellogg Company), she also was the vice president of marketing for an online travel company. Based in Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania, Jefferson owns and runs a growth planning consultancy that helps other companies develop and grow their businesses. Past social service activities include being on the board of directors of the Battle Creek, Michigan, chapter of the American Red Cross as well as a Junior Achievement volunteer. Jefferson has a B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and is pursuing a doctorate in Psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

 

Betty Brady is a retired public relations and communications expert from Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, a position she held for over 15 years. She has a long history of helping others, including past service on the board of directors of the West Volusia Chapter for Habitat for Humanity, and the board of directors of The House Next Door, a social service agency in DeLand. She has also worked as a news reporter and was editor-in-chief of a regional daily newspaper for several years. Brady has a B.A. from the University of New Orleans.

Virginia Brady is an elementary school teacher in the Philadelphia school system where she is committed to making a difference. She has taught in an urban neighborhood in Philadelphia for five years, helping underprivileged children succeed. She has become a mentor to many students and sponsors an environmental club at her school. Before moving to Philadelphia she taught in Evanston, Illinois, for five years in another underprivileged area. Brady has a B.A. from the University of Chicago and a Master's in Science of Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University.