Project Zawadi Projects Continued Success in Training Teachers in Tanzania
illuminAid celebrates its ongoing partnership with Project Zawadi, an organization based out of the Nyamuswa area of northwestern Tanzania. Founded in 2000, Project Zawadi focuses on access to, and quality of, education in Tanzania. Divided into three missions targeting different aspects of education, the organization sponsors students to attend school, provides training and professional development to teachers, and builds accessible schools for local communities. These three programs allow Project Zawadi to holistically address issues in education that affect communities in the Nyamuswa area, often by using projectors supplied by illuminAid.
The linchpin of all of Project Zawadi’s programs is a focus on the local community. In sponsoring students for school, the organization works with village leadership to select needy and vulnerable kids to support them on their educational journeys, but also with other programs like counseling, training for work in a myriad of trades, and clubs to connect with other students. The model school program understands the infrastructural barriers of accessing education. This program both works to help repair existing schools as well as build schools that partner with a variety of local stakeholders to make the school a success for all community members. Finally, the Tenga Teacher program recognizes the need of teachers in Tanzania and the barriers they face in providing quality education to students. The program comes to the teachers to provide free professional development that can be directly applicable in their classrooms.
While not on-the-ground partners with Project Zawadi, illuminAid has provided projectors to further support their mission. The portable projectors are checked out and taken across Chamriho Division of the Bunda District in northwestern Tanzania to schools to facilitate the training and professional development of teachers involved in Project Zawadi’s Tenda Teacher program. These projectors and speakers are useful because they are rechargeable and can be solar powered, allowing the Tenda Teacher program to facilitate learning regardless of where a school is located.
Still in its pilot phase, the Tenda Teacher program has already made a demonstrable impact. A three year program, the Tenda Teacher program is currently working with 33 schools and over 300 teachers, with plans to launch in 80 additional schools this year. In the 33 schools already partnering with Project Zawadi, 15,234 students have been impacted. The program is unique in that it does not displace teachers, but rather comes to them in their communities and schools, allowing more teachers to receive important professional development. The projector kits provided by illuminAid are vital in facilitating these trainings and will continue to be invaluable as the program continues to grow.
We’ve included a wonderful video produced by Project Zawadi below, showcasing the use of illuminAid’s projectors in helping institute the Tenga Teacher program. The demonstrable success and continued growth of Project Zawadi’s Tenda Teacher program is exciting and illuminAid is proud to be able to assist in the remarkable achievements of this organization.