Special to the Northwest Weekly

A group of special education teachers from Northside ISD will be traveling to Tanzania, Africa after school lets out in June, but it’ll be no summer vacation.

For two weeks, nine teachers will be working at a school for special needs children to share teaching techniques and curriculum for students with autism, Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities.

African students with special needs aren’t allowed to attend public schools. The Step-by-Step Learning Center, where the teachers will be working, is one of the first schools established in Tanzania that offers a special needs program.

“A generation ago, babies born with disabilities were killed at birth; today, they’re still shunned by society,” said Becky Rittimann, an instructional assistant at O’Connor High School and the team leader. “We want to help assimilate these students into the community, and also provide their teachers with skills and resources to give them a chance at a productive future.”

Each teacher needs to raise $4,000 to cover travel expenses by June 26, the date of departure. The teachers are reaching out to family, friends, colleagues, and the community to raise the funds, Rittimann said.

A garage sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Braun Station Clubhouse on Tezel Road, across from Braun Station Elementary School. All proceeds will go to offset travel costs for the teachers.

For more information call 397-7188.