Looking smart, feeling smart in Nguo Bora School Uniforms

Endeavour Group Limited are proud to promote our Nguo Bora Schoolwear line: superior quality school uniforms at affordable prices. Proudly made in Tanzania.

Clothes Make the Man. (Mark Twain)

Tanzanians value education. A good education can break the cycle of poverty. All Tanzanian children aged 7 – 15 years must attend school, and the wearing of a school uniform is compulsory.  This in itself is not a bad thing.  Wearing a school uniform is an important part of being a student. It gives the student a sense of belonging to a particular school community, builds school spirit, creates a sense of pride in the school, and demonstrates a respect for the school, as well as a personal engagement with the school’s values and purpose.  In addition, a school uniform promotes the identity of the school within the community. Student dress and appearance are an important aspect of how a community perceives a school, reinforcing the perception of the school and its teachers as an ordered, structured environment that is preparing the nation’s youth for a lifetime of responsible citizenship. Yes, the futures of all nations, rich and poor alike, depends upon the students of today.

Part of education is learning how to present one’s self to the world and that is what the school uniform is all about. Wearing a school uniform teaches children how to dress smartly and take a pride in their appearance, thus building confidence and hopefully academic success. Essentially, it prepares young people for when they leave school and enter the workforce, be that the corporate world, companies where uniforms are a must, or the military, police, or emergency services. It is a fact that well-dressed business men / women command more respect. Likewise, well-dressed students perform better in school due to a more studious environment, which is focussed on education.

Children learn the valuable lesson of looking after what they have through the responsibility of taking care of their uniform: keeping it clean and neat. They are not cheap to replace and are required to last as long as possible. Ideally parts of the uniform should be able to be passed on to younger siblings.

“Uniform” means to be the same – without difference, and that is where the uniforms of many Tanzanian students come undone. The cost of a school uniform can cause financial strain on already struggling families, especially if the lack of funds leads them to purchase what are perceived to be cheaper alternatives from the market vendors / fundis. 

Some local students. Keen as mustard,
but the uniforms could be better.

Many of these garments are ill-made with skipped stitches, unfinished seams that are already coming apart, broken zippers, poorly attached buttons, collars and pockets etc. (and that is at the point of purchase). Often the fabric is inferior and cannot sustain the rigorous daily washing that most uniforms receive. Rarely are the colours uniform, and all in all, the child is wearing badly made, ill-fitting, mismatched garments that cannot stand the test of time. This does nothing for the self-esteem of the child. Nor can the uniform be handed down to a younger brother / sister as the quality of the garment simply is not there.

Looking smart guys! This is how a
uniform should look.

While it is tempting to head straight to the market for cheap uniforms, durability should be a major consideration. Purchasing from the Baraza is a false economy. School uniforms can receive a lot of rough treatment and the selection of a reliable manufacturer is important. Endeavour Group Limited’s quality uniforms (Nguo Bora) are more durable and hold their smart appearance longer. Consequently, they can be handed down to younger members of the family, saving money in the long run.

Ironically, the cost of an Endeavour Group Limited school uniform is no more than the inferior product available at the market. Uniforms made in our local Bukoba factory are consistently of the highest quality, and we can deliver large volumes of uniforms on time, all in correct sizes, consistent style and colours.

At Endeavour Group Limited, we are committed to providing much needed employment, training and the development of our local Bukoba community.

For more information about Nguo Bora uniforms from Endeavour Group Limited contact us by email rayskaijage@yahoo.com or by phone +255 767 210 960

Disappointed at the lack of employment prospects for young people and women in Bukoba,  we wanted to establish a business that effectively improved lives through employment, not charity. Not only does permanent employment provide a sense of purpose in life, it also enables a sense of pride, in that people can support their families, educate their children and plan for the future.

Coming from a teaching background combined with a love of sewing, we decided to embark on a garment production business. Initially we started with one particularly talented tailor and two unskilled machinists. Since then our team has grown to fifteen fabulous tailors and  trainees, a gardener and a cook.  Ongoing vocational training and skills development are important in raising individual self esteem and has proven to be very successful not just on an individual level, but for the project overall.  

The mainstay of the business has been manufacturing our Nguo Bora label school uniforms which are of the highest quality and, more importantly, are affordably priced for the local community. Too often Tanzanians are confronted with substandard garments that are cobbled together by self taught / poorly trained individuals employed on a casual basis and paid by the number of garments produced. Consequently, and understandably quality becomes secondary to quantity considerations. 

Fortunately, this is not the case with our team members. All members are paid above the minimum wage and enjoy entitlements such as sick leave, holiday pay and a monthly employer contribution to the national superannuation fund. Working conditions are clean and safe. Each employee receives a cooked meal at lunchtime and are able to take home produce from the factory vegetable plot for their family meal.
  

In addition, EGL has diversified into sewing workwear, hence the introduction of our lesser known Kifaru label.  

You have probably already established from the label that Kifaru is Swahili for rhinoceros. We feel that the rhino logo says it all, and reflects the sturdiness of our workwear. 

However Mamakemi is a glamorous lady and feels that a little beauty goes a long way. So now that we have filled all our World Vision orders, EGL is, at last, embarking on producing the Kemilembe label Spring / Summer collection in earnest. 

Look out world, here comes Kemilembe.