Over the past few years, Arup has been working with the Mbesese Initiative for Sustainable Development (MISD), and California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) to develop plans for a new vocational training college in East Africa. Situated on a 102-acre site in the northern highlands of Tanzania, the Same Polytechnic College will offer practical educational programs for up to 1,200 students in fields including farming, construction, teaching, and auto mechanics.
Supported by the Arup Cause and Community Engagement Committee, Arup staff collaborated with graduate architecture students and faculty at Cal Poly on sustainability, energy, water, transportation, and waste management strategies to create a comprehensive master plan that will guide the design and growth of the campus and make it a model for sustainable development in the region.
This master plan has been approved to move forward. Now MISD needs to raise $25,000 to finalize the transfer of title deed for the campus site so they can begin preliminary work on site while the design team moves forward on the first phase. The Americas Community Engagement Committee is making a $2,000 donation towards this fundraising goal.
We also have pledges from within Arup to double-match all employee donations up to $1,000 and single match up to an additional $500. This means early contributions make three times the impact towards building this school and expanding educational opportunities in rural East Africa. Any amount will help if you would like to donate. If you do so, please email David Lambert for tracking purposes.