• In March 2020, both the Kenya and Tanzania governments followed the USA lead and enforced a “Shelter at Home” mandate for all schools.

TANZANIA:
April 2020

• Our staff in Tanzania appealed to the government representatives to allow our students to “Shelter in Place” since it was our conviction that they would be far safer remaining in their Boarding Home than taking public transportation back to their guardian’s homes all over the country.
• After a week of consideration, the Health Dept. representatives determined that there should be no exemptions made to the rule, lest it set a bad precedent for other schools.
• So, as directed, we sent our students back to their guardians, both in our schools in Kenya and Tanzania.
• Initially, our teachers prepared "Home Packages" with lessons and assignments to send along with each student, as well as a loaf of bread for their families.
• Our Tanzanian Director, Stephen Mshomi told us that the County Commissioner recently told him that they now realize that they made an error in judgment and that it would have indeed been much safer to have allowed our students to “shelter in place” at New Dawn.  
• We trusted the Lord for His protection and healing for our students and staff until they were permitted to return to New Dawn. Pray with us that our Community will be spared any virus outbreak when the government allows them to return ‘home”.
• The Prime Minister in Tanzania said that the schools could reopen after Easter, but the shelter was extended to June. The risk of students regathering after their increased exposure on public transportation created unforeseen concerns, but all was OK.

May/June 2020

• Many of our most destitute students were allowed by the Health Dept. to  come back early to their “home” at New Dawn, since it’s safer for them there than at their guardian’s homes.

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• Our teachers continued to develop Home Packages with school assignments, which were hand delivered to them through the pastor’s network in their communities.
• Most of our students come from living situations where their guardians do not have email due to the lack of means. Even still in many places in Tanzania and Kenya, there are very primitive living situations, especially out in the rural communities.
• Although we have plans and the means to create an online curriculum, our type of students typically come from living situations where email is still unavailable, so it would not help them in this situation.
• July 2020
  • Tanzania made the decision to allow all the schools to be open as of July. Below is our entire student body and staff that are back at New Dawn Tanzania. All are happy and healthy.

Kenya: 
Our school in Kenya was closed in March. We sent support to continue paying our teaching staff through April, May and June in hopes that we could re-open in July. Now we are told that the Kenya national officials will keep the schools there closed for the remainder of the year. They anticipate opening their schools again in January 2021. Unfortunately, that means that there are no students to sponsor at this time in Kenya. Sadly, these developing nations don't have the technology and means to do online education. The students themselves, for the most part, do not have computers due to their low economic condition. Also, the teachers do not have the resources to develop the platforms to provide such a program. So, all the students in Kenya, including our New Dawn students have lost an entire year of lessons and must resume their studies in January at the previous year's level. For instance, Freshmen this year come back next year as Freshmen and Seniors will not graduate this year and must come back next year to do their senior year over again.

We will be working with the Kenya school board regarding what it will take to open New Dawn Kenya in January.