education to be fully realized requires a
socio-cultural shift,” Peter said. “Parents
must allow their teens to attend school
and do their homework rather than
working in the fields. Girls must persevere
in their pursuit of education. Boys must
learn to see girls as peers who possess
capabilities and potential just as they do.
Schools must foster in their students a
sense of commitment to their culture and
community. Communities must be open
to change as a new generation emerges.
The change comes from within, and it
takes time.”
Peter also established the Indigenous
Education Foundation of Tanzania (IEFT),
a nonprofit organization to raise funds to
support the construction and operation of
Orkeeswa School and the education of its
students. One of its early board members,
Anne Cross, is a friend of Chuck Berghoff,
a Morgan Hill Rotarian. Their friendship is
the genesis of this story.
Chuck Berghoff . . .
Chuck might never have connected with
Orkeeswa if it weren’t for the fact that
he plays in a Bluegrass garage band with
Anne Cross’s husband Jon.
As Chuck explained it, “When our
band gets together to perform gigs, our
wives often come along. On several
occasions, Anne and Jon talked of having
served as volunteers at the inception of
Orkeeswa School and having been moved
by the needs of the kids and the vision of
its school leaders. Later Anne was invited
to join the IEFT Board. My wife Sue and
I were deeply touched and we decided to
sponsor an Orkeeswa student.
“In 2014, Anne asked if I thought
local Rotary Clubs would be interested
in raising funds to support the needs
at Orkeeswa. I mentioned this to Brad
Ledwith, Morgan Hill Rotary Club
President at the time, and he took it to
Lorena Tuohey, who leads our club’s inter-
national service projects. Literally within
hours we got the ball rolling. We met
with Anne Cross and members from other
Bay Area Rotary Clubs. An international
service project was born with the support
of the Saratoga, Los Altos, Morgan Hill,
Gilroy, Gilroy Sunrise, San Juan Bautista,
Hollister and Almaden Rotary Clubs.
“In keepin