Transforming Tanzanian schools with Technology

It’s been a busy few months in our schools in Tanzania.  Many of them have been successfully competing in a school enterprise competition for the first time, involving email support and a Facebook group to share ideas.  Eight students and 3 teachers attended the first Tanzanian Maths Camp where they learnt many new methods and that Maths can be fun!  It was the first time most of them had left the area around their village.  Maria, 15, said “Normally I find maths hard and not very interesting, but we did so many puzzles and I learnt how maths is everywhere.  In my school we have a shortage of maths teachers.  Now I want to help my community by becoming a teacher of maths, and using some of the fun methods I learnt at the camp.”

When I was out in Tanzania in May I also took 2 donated laptops and 5 phones to a community library set up by Mboni ya Vijana, a local NGO near Kasulu.  This was set up to teach the whole community, including women who had missed out on their schooling.  Many of them are now trying to set up small businesses to support their families living in extreme poverty.  Record keeping is difficult when you are illiterate and innumerate, so MVG is organising training that starts from where they are and recognises their needs.  Regina said “before the training I had no idea about profit and loss, but now I have a successful business selling palm oil in the market.  This means I can now buy school uniforms for my children”.  

We are also collaborating with an organisation making 3d printed microscopes in Tanzania.  Microscopes are currently beyond the reach of most clinics and schools.  So far we have been trialling it in secondary schools looking at cells, but in the future we are going to use it for malaria  testing.   Currently you cannot get tested for malaria in many villages, despite it being so common here. 

Thank you again for supporting this project, your money goes a very long way in Tanzania.