Buguruni is a busy, crowded suburb of Dar es Salaam. The school is green, full of plants and flowers, and the children keep it clean and tidy. There are frangipani, coconut and mango trees, and a vegetable garden. In the evening, a warm breeze blows in off the coast and freshens the air.

The buildings are clean but run-down, and the school has none of the equipment that schools in the developed world can take for granted: the classrooms seem surprisingly bare to visitors from the West. The kitchen staff cook over coals outside, and the children hand-wash their own clothes. The boarders sleep in long rows in large dormitories. There is no hot water, and during power-cuts, which are very common in Dar, there is no running water at all.

Recently the children have been very excited at having a new art room, created by volunteers from the UK, led by Hamish Roberts. It is bright, attractive and well-equipped and has helped to make art lessons one of the highlights of the school day.