Sami Tabema Primary School

Sami Tabema, a community located about nine miles from Tikonko, is facing severe deprivation due to poverty, resulting in a lack of basic amenities. The population is about eight hundred inhabitants, with a town chief, town speaker, and other village elders. Farming is the primary source of income, although it is done on a small scale for personal consumption. The community suffers from extreme poverty, with no health care facility available. Pregnant women and children receive healthcare through the Rural Health Care Initiative (our implementing partner) outreach program.

The lack of toilets and clean drinking water is a significant issue, as the community relies on nearby bushes for latrines and the Tabe River for drinking and domestic use. The community has two churches (Methodist and New Apostolic church) and a mosque.  Muslims and Christians live in harmony. 

Around eighty percent of the houses are locally constructed with local materials. However, there is no access to electricity, and the mobile network is unreliable. The road conditions are extremely poor, especially during the rainy season, making travel difficult.  While there is a motorable road to Sami, most people travel on foot due to the high cost of motorbikes, which many cannot afford. The community’s dire poverty has led to a high incidence of hunger and malnutrition, particularly among children. The prevalent diseases in the area include malaria, typhoid, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infection. 

The pupils at the BDEC (Bo District Education Committee) Primary School walk about 500 meters to get drinking water from the Tabe River, which is not pure for drinking.  Sami Tabema is 3 miles from the nearest basic health facility.  A monthly outreach clinic, supported by RHCI, takes place in Sami one day each month. The primary school at Sami Tabema, The BDEC Primary School, is a community school with approximately 260 pupils ranging from classes 1-6. The school consists of three classrooms built by the community, but they are not conducive to learning for the pupils.

School days are from Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 2 PM.  The curriculum includes subjects such as Mathematics, English, Social Studies, Agriculture, RME (religious and moral education), Arabic, literature, etc. The academic year consists of three terms: the first term runs from September to December, the second from January to April, and the third from April to July. Unfortunately, the school does not provide any feeding programs. Moreover, the school lacks access to water and toilet facilities, and the pupils have to rely on the nearby river for drinking water and the nearby bushes as latrines. The school operates with three community volunteer teachers who are not on the government payroll and receive minimal stipends from the community, which are often unreliable.  

Other villages that attend school at Sami Tabema are Foindu, Warlleh, and Sengema.