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Winifred Allen
Winifred Ethel Emma Allen (W.E.E. Allen, known as "Winkie")

Born: 22 July 1902

Place of birth: Ixmiquilpan, Mexico Maiden name: Brooke

Family Life
Winifred was the daughter of Hubert Brooke and his wife Helen (maiden name: Honey) - entry under MEXICAN DAILY HERALD for 16.6.1898. Her childhood years were spent in Mexico until 1916; in Biarritz in France from 1916-1918; then England. Winifred was the sister of Rev.Richard Hubert John Brooke Winifred got married in September 1930 in Tanganyika (now known as Tanzania) to John W.T. Allen, colonial administrator, educationist and Swahili scholar

Education
Winifred studied in a variety of places due to the fact that she moved around a lot with her family. She started her studies at Oakdene School and then Beaconsfield before furthering her education via Oxford University where she studied modern languages (French and Spanish) at St Hugh's College After completing her languages course at Oxford Winifred went on to receive a teaching diploma from the University of London.

Adult Life
Winifred Allen was a teacher and educational author in Eastern Africa. She established the first school for girls (then called "The Government Girls' School") in February 1931 in Tanga, Tanganyika. She also set up temporary schools (sometimes referred to as "ragged schools") wherever she lived in Eastern Africa to teach local children how to read and write. As well as this, she was the author of the first primers (a series titled Mwanzo wa Masomo) created to help teach children to read Swahili (also known as Kiswahili), the common language (or "lingua franca") of Eastern Africa. This contribution was clearly very influential because the primers still remain in use today.