The first phase building comprises has six classrooms, with eight further rooms scheduled to be ready by the end of 2018. The school, which has been named “Sunflower”, will eventually accommodate 560 children. The inauguration was the fruition of seven years of fundraising by Sunflower Montessori and the IOP Luxembourg committee.

Children at Sunflower Montessori Luxembourg supported the effort by baking biscuits and recording songs on a CD to sell to parents and friends. Parishioners of St. Alphonse donated refreshment money, and hundreds of supporters helped by attending the very popular annual table quiz at The Black Stuff. Others contributed by doing sponsored running, cycling and swimming, and private donations have also helped raise funds. Music group Alizeti also performed in exchange for donations.

Sunflower says it is proud to have helped the plans come to fruition for IOP founder Berit Skaare, Edson Msigwa MD and all the IOP staff and teachers.

“An important part of the ceremony was to raise the flags of Tanzania and Luxembourg, especially poignant as the project was co-funded by the Luxembourg government with the co-operation of CSI,” says Sam O’Dea. A Tanzanian government inspector was on hand to deliver the official registration certificate to allow the school to open.

IOP Luxembourg has now announced its next project, “Farm For the Future”, details of which will follow soon.

Anyone interested in sponsoring a child in Tanzania should contact Helen Clark ([email protected]) or Ellen Okkerman ([email protected])