Hannah Postma

Hannah Postma, 20

Georgetown, ON

Program: Bachelor of Arts and Science Honours Degree
Major: Ecology and Anthropology

In January of 2016 I created the group ‘150 for Change’ to source and fund innovative learning material for a partner school in Arusha, Tanzania. To do so, our team partnered with the Rumie Initiative, a Canadian grassroots organization that supplies learning tablets and educational content to communities around the world. Our team successfully fundraised $17,000, which covered the cost of fifty digital tablets fully loaded with learning material, five multi-purpose solar charging stations and shipping/handling. To raise awareness for our project, in January 2017 our team journeyed to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and visit with our partner school in Arusha. The Alistair Summerlee Humanitarian Scholarship provided an opportunity to reach across the Atlantic Ocean and connect with an incredible group of students and teachers who share in our passion for learning and growing. This scholarship enabled us to further recognize the importance of protecting and maintaining equal access to education as a human right for young people in all countries and contexts.

Giving back to communities in both local and international contexts is very important to me, and upon graduation I hope to continue to be involved in projects that work alongside those with fewer opportunities but from whom I can learn so much. Africa holds a special place in my heart as I spent many years of my childhood growing up in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. I hope to maintain my connections and build relationships with teachers, students and friends I have met through this ‘150 for Change’ project. I hope to discover new international projects, and become involved in humanitarian efforts that aim to include, protect and empower marginalized groups.

To load the tablets with the educational content that would be most useful to the teachers in our partner school, I worked closely with the directors and teachers over Skype to ensure that the material on the tablets would suit and enhance the current curriculum. Updates from our partner school have shown that the tablets are well used, enjoyed and have strengthened the achievement of learning outcomes by the students.

I would like to kindly thank the donor of the Alistair Summerlee Humanitarian Scholarship for encouraging my interests in supporting, learning and working alongside an international partner. This gift has tangibly strengthened learning opportunities for students and teachers at our partner school in Arusha, Tanzania. I am thankful for Summerlee Humanitarian Scholarship and will do my best to honour your gift by continuing to reach out and encourage others!