The PSPA team with the St. Charles school community in Tanzania. Photo courtesy of Kristen Favia.
A North Carolina charter school is working to share critical resources and supplies with four pre- and primary schools in Tanzania. The brainchild of a former teacher at Pine Springs Preparatory Academy (PSPA) in Holly Springs, the initiative launched this past July through a 13-day trip, as 12 teachers and staff members traveled to Arusha, Tanzania.
“The impact was bigger than anyone could have imagined it would be,” said Kristen Favia, the former PSPA math teacher who spearheaded the trip.
Dubbed the “Tanzanian Pioneers,” the intrepid PSPA team brought 12 suitcases, packed with school supplies and lesson plans, with them to Tanzania.
The trip’s primary purpose, Favia noted, was to help establish St. Charles Mlimani Pre and Primary School just months after the school’s launch. St. Charles, which serves students from two to five years old, opened in January 2025, in Sakila Chini, located in the Kikatiti region of northern Tanzania.
Trip origins
Father Faustine Mosha, a Catholic priest, founded St. Charles. Educated in the U.S., Mosha met Favia nearly 15 years ago when both were volunteers in California. He eventually became a cherished family friend, even officiating at Favia’s wedding.
Now, Mosha is deeply invested in bringing uplift to Tanzanian students through education. A motivating and animating belief for Mosha, Favia said, is “Elimu ni Nguvu,” Swahili for “Education is power.”
Both Mosha and his nephew, Jim Mosha, are serving St. Charles as unpaid volunteers.
Students at St. Charles Mlimani Pre and Primary School. Photo courtesy of St. Charles/Facebook.
“They have been giving their all to get this school going,” said Favia, who sought to provide them with a North Carolina school connection as well as practical help.
“The general idea was to bring supplies, hold trainings, engage with kids—and see how we could connect our Pine Springs community to their community,” said Favia of the venture with St. Charles. “But the trip blossomed after that.”
Expansion to four schools
In fact, the trip’s focus extended beyond St. Charles to include three more Tanzanian schools: St. Gemma, Ernest Meyner, and St. Clare. Father Mosha, Favia said, has been involved in all four schools.
PSPA teacher Karen Lord reads to students at Ernest Meyner. Photo courtesy of Kristen Favia.
PSPA team members, who stayed at a hostel on St. Gemma’s campus, deployed to each school, providing instructional coaching and practical training. A first aid session, taught by a PSPA nurse, covered emergencies, such as dealing with choking hazards or uncontrollable bleeding—and even managing bleeding without water. This was important, Favia noted, as most of the schools lack running water. Schools also received a first aid kit from PSPA.
Impacts from the provision of basic supplies were profound. Tanzanian educators were “in awe” of a simple thermometer, Favia said. A tutorial in first aid fundamentals also proved highly useful. “They didn’t know the Heimlich maneuver,” she added.
A school counselor offered training on community engagement and parent involvement. Teachers, including Favia, provided training in math and English Language Arts (ELA). The PSPA team also brought inflatable dice, games, and puzzles with them, as well as balls, sports equipment, and ball pumps. Other supplies included a hand-held whiteboard, math and English manipulatives, clear sheet protectors, crayons, notebooks, and markers.
PSPA teachers Erin Harden, Monique Richter, and Kristen Favia in a St. Charles classroom. Photo courtesy of Kristen Favia.
“We left whatever we could, along with full lesson plans for ELA and math,” Favia said.
Each school received a bag of supplies, but the majority of the items went to St. Charles, Favia added.
Planning and fundraising
Not surprisingly, travel to Tanzania required intensive planning. “We started talking about the trip a year ago,” said Favia, who worked at a local nonprofit at the time.
Trip funding came from a variety of sources. “I solidified funds through the nonprofit and raised a lot of money,” Favia said. In total, PSPA raised $21,000.
Fundraising was creative—and fun. PSPA held a “Dancing with the Teachers” contest in February, modeled after the hit show, “Dancing with the Stars.” Favia and other school volunteers paired PSPA teachers with local dancing pros, while area businesses donated funds. The event was a “huge hit” and sold out, Favia said.
Other fundraising ventures included an elementary school dance, a Give Butter campaign, and a t-shirt contest—which doubled as a project-based learning opportunity for students. Eighth graders designed a t-shirt connecting St. Charles and PSPA, and they also planned a budget. “Mock stores” collected data on the school community’s design preferences, which students then graphed.
After production costs, the t-shirt project cleared $5,000. In addition, every student and staff member at St. Charles received a t-shirt.
“Just to see the Pine Springs logo on their arms was emotional,” said Favia. “It reminded me: Oh, we did it!”
The team at St. Charles wearing Pine Springs spirit wear t-shirts. Photo courtesy of Kristen Favia.
Next steps and ‘life-changing’ personal impacts
Favia hopes the 2025 trip is just the beginning of an ongoing partnership. This fall, the PSPA team is using the WhatsApp messaging service to stay connected with Tanzanian teachers. PSPA team members also created Google accounts for teachers at St. Charles, showing them how to use email and setting up a Google Folder with instructional resources. In addition, PSPA donated six Chromebooks to St. Charles, along with mobile hotspots. The school does not have electricity, which presents obvious challenges, as does the lack of technological savvy among staff members—but Jim Mosha is planning more training, Favia said.
Is more Tanzanian travel in the offing? It seems likely. Favia expects to organize a trip for June 2026. She is not alone in wanting early school connections to endure.
“Visiting the teachers and students of St. Charles and the three other schools in Tanzania was an unforgettable, heart-warming experience,” said Heather Graham, a PBL teacher at PSPA. “This meaningful connection is something I would love to continue and grow in the future.”
Team members also reflected on palpable, personal impacts.
“One of the biggest lessons I took from our trip was the perception of education,” said Erin Harden, a fifth grade science teacher at PSPA. “In Tanzania, education is deemed as a privilege, not an obligation.”
Such lessons will undoubtedly make their way into PSPA classrooms, too.
This year, Harden hopes to “plant the seeds” of this mindset shift in her own students, she said.
School administrators voiced similar sentiments.
“The experience was life-changing for our teachers, giving them a deeper perspective on education and culture that will enrich their teaching and help instill global awareness in our students,” said Lauren Johnson, the assistant middle school principal at PSPA. “Looking ahead, we are committed to continuing our partnership with schools in Africa, fostering long-term relationships and ongoing support.”
Pine Springs Prep is a Coalition member school. Learn more about the Coalition.
