Background:  St. Laurent’s Pre and Primary School was founded in 2001 to provide a religious, English-medium based education for young boy’s and girl’s of Hanga.  Since our foundation, our reputation of being one of Tanzania’s finest pre and primary schools has grown and therefore we now house over 250 boarding students from all over Tanzania.  The school is run and operated by the monks of Hanga Abbey.  The building of this school was made possible by funds and materials raised by our own local villages and by the generous donations of the Kleinostheim Parish in Kleinostheim, Germany.

Mission:  The mission of our school is to produce students who can not only independently understand, speak, and write in Swahili, but more importantly in English.  Through our mission statement, it is our hope to send as many of our students as possible onto institutes of higher education. 

Curriculum Offered:  Alongside our English aims, St. Laurent’s encompasses the typical curriculum of a pre and primary school in Tanzania (kindergarten, standards I-VII).  These eight grade levels consist of a total of 388 students.  Our curriculum covers a wide range of subjects including: Kiswahili, English, Mathematics, Social Studies, Vocational Skills, and Religion.  Upon completing Standard VII, the students of St. Laurent’s sit for the National Exams, which will determine their future advancement in education. 

Student Projects:  Throughout the week, students are assigned jobs that help to build a sense of responsibility and appreciation for their environment and surroundings.  These tasks include cleaning campus grounds and living quarters, plus other jobs that are designed to help maintain a healthy and sustainable environment.  Our students also have sufficient time to play football and netball, and also interact with their fellow students during the afternoon periods.

Housing:  Located within St. Laurent’s walls is the newly built dormitory for girls.  The dormitory for boys is located about 400 meters from St. Laurent’s.  All boarding students receive four meals a day, and those day students are provided with three meals a day.

 Recent News:  We are happy to announce the arrival of new books for our students. A group of people from Wisconsin (USA) have begun a project to collect books from local elementary schools. Many generous donors have made it possible to ship these books to our students.  If you would like to learn more about this project or make a donation please contact Jean Dowell by phone in Wisconsin at (262) 945-8065 or by email at noni1953@wi.rr.com. Thank you for your interest.