Meet our Founders

How it all began…

In 2007, Stacy and I moved with our 3 children to Tanzania. We were excited to make new friends and learn local culture. We enjoyed home-schooling our kids but it took too much of our time. Without a school community to connect with, our children felt isolated and lonely. International schools were too expensive and local schools did not offer the quality academic foundation we wanted for our kids. In 2012, the vision was born for a school with strong academics, reasonable fees, and a positive and loving atmosphere.

Hope is a Christian international school where international volunteers and national staff work together to raise up students who are academically fit, groomed in Christian character and inspired to be passionate and creative in all they do. Our multi-cultural environment helps our students, staff, and parents celebrate one another and see the value in all people. Our plan is to continue to offer quality education in a way that inspires children to bring solutions and become agents of change. Our dream is that they will reach for the stars and become beacons of hope!! We are committed to raising up powerful and loving people who bring strategies of success into all spheres of society.

Ryan Helbling, FOUNDER

Vision

Hope, a Christian international school, embraces the inclusive principles of Christian faith in our multicultural setting. We prioritise teamwork, refine strategies, and foster responsibility. Promoting benevolent leadership, confidence, self-efficacy, reflection, and innovation, we aim to enhance educational success in Tanzania and beyond. Our core values—honour, optimism, politeness, and excellence—are ingrained in our students. They honour others and their environment, remain optimistic about their future, and demonstrate politeness and excellence in all endeavours.

Goals

Our primary aim aligns with our mission of preparing staff and students to become well-rounded leaders. We strive to cultivate the focus, pace, and rigor characteristic of Cambridge education. Our goal is to apply academic excellence sensitively across diverse cultural contexts. Through an innovative curriculum emphasizing creativity, curiosity, and character, we aim to foster international awareness and ingenuity. We support the development of students' perseverance, resilience, empathy, and independence through knowledge synthesis.