"I have learned so much from the elders of Ntulya. Their plea for a school and a medical dispensary for their children has touched my heart and those of my fellow Africa Schoolhouse board members."
....................................................................... —Aimée Bessire, Founder/Director

In June 2006, Dr. Aimée Bessire returned to Ntulya, a village in Tanzania she had visited many times while conducting field research for her Ph.D. at Harvard University. The village elders asked if she could assist them in building a school and a dispensary. Dr. Bessire told Carol Ann Emquies (our Chairman) about the elder's request. Having traveled to Africa with her family many times, Carol Ann understood Aimee's passion and she inspired others to get involved by organizing a trip for them to see the village firsthand.

In Ntulya, they found a serene village of mud huts with no electricity or running water. They visited the closest primary school which is extremely overcrowded and under equipped. There are one thousand students, a hundred and forty per classroom, and only ten books. To reach this school, the Ntulya students have to walk more than an hour under a scorching sun on empty stomachs, with little or no water to drink. In the rainy season, mud and flooding makes passage impossible.

The students gathered together in a special assembly and sang proudly for their American guests, greeting them enthusiastically in English.

Returning home, Carol Ann and the others committed themselves, their families, their resources and their passion to help Aimée and the elders of Ntulya bring a school to the village. Africa Schoolhouse was born.