PROGRESS AND PLANS, 1963-1964 - Page 3.
Student Hostel
As soon as v/e arrived in Dar es Salaam, plans v/ere drawn up for a
student hostel to be built to accommodate 50 students.  The building
will also contain dining and kitchen facilities, a library, two lecture
rooms, living accommodations for a resident Dean of Students and office
space for the officers of the Mozambique Institute.
Although we have received very fine encouragement and support from
the Tanganyika Government, our progress on the erection of the hostel
has been dogged by many delays.  We have received approval of cur building site, which is located on the corner of the Kilwa and Kurasini Reads
close to the African-American Institute Special Training Centre and the
Mgulani Refugee Camp;  the architect's plans for the building have been
approved by the City Council;  and the final bid for construction has
been accepted.  Completion of the construction has been promised in 27
weeks, and we hope for occupancy in August 1964.
Throughout our time here in Dar es Salaam, we have become increasingly aware of the urgent need for the hostel.  If we wish to carry out
our  planned accelerated programme of secondary education in order to
equip our students to accept the available university scholarships, they
must be given conditions which make it possible for them to achieve the
goals we set for them.  These conditions include adequate shelter,
nutritious food, clothing and the best possible environment and educational aids to help them to catch up at school and v/ith their counterparts in other East African countries.
Pending the completion of our hostel, we have done what we could
to reduce the hardships under which our students v/ere living.  Tho
majority of our students have been living in mud houses, without furniture, sleeping on cement floors, with, if they were lucky, a thin straw
mat to protect them.  The overcrowding had reached such proportions that
10 students were forced to share a room which measured approximately 12
feet by 12 feet.  There was no electricity and no sanitary facilities
that could possibly be considered adequate.  The students either bought
water or drew it from a stagnant trench or stream.  There were so few
cooking and eating utensils that it was often late at night before the
students had finished preparing and eating their frugal evening meal,
By this time the light v/ould be gone, and without electricity they had
no opportunity to complete their homev/ork assignments.  And, of course,
under these circumstances it is not difficult to understand how our
medical problems multiplied.
In December 1963* to add to this already impossible situation, the
funds available to provide the students with their poor food allowance
was exhausted.  It became necessary for the Mozambique Institute to provide money to feed the students, although there was no allocation in
our budget for such an expense.  We have since received a promise from
the Christian Council of Tanganyika to underwrite this food expense on
a temporary basis, and will be able to make restoration of the fund
spent out of our grant from their contribution.  V/e have further received a number of private donations from individuals and groups in Europe
and the United States, and we are negotiating with Catholic Relief for
donations of food in quantity.  V/e hope through these sources to be able
to continue our food allowance to tht students.
After negotiation with the Tanganyika Government, an arrangement
has been made to transfer some 2 5 students from the wretched conditions
of the houses in which they have been living to the Mgulani Refugee Camp
in Kurasini.  Although the conditions at Mgulani are far from ideal,
they are certainly an improvement.  An additional advantage is that the
Tanganyika. Government in accepting these students in the camp has also
agreed to pay them shs 2l/= a v/eek for their food and maintenance.  This
is a temporary arrangement, but one for which we are extremely grateful.