Mobile learning project for Hadzabe children in Tanzania wins award

Ten organisations from South-Eastern Europe, South-East Asia and East Africa had submitted projects for this year’s Innovation Fund. The award went to CASEE from Tanzania for its project ‘Mobile Bridge Learning for Hadzabe Children’.

The project is aimed at children of the Hadzabe, a semi-nomadic community in Tanzania. Many of them have no access to (early childhood) education, attend school irregularly or drop out early. Through mobile learning programmes, CASEE aims to overcome barriers to education such as long journeys to school, language barriers or cultural differences.

For the jury, it was above all the innovative approach that tipped the balance: rather than expecting the Hadzabe to adapt to existing educational structures, the project brings learning opportunities directly into the community. Playful, culturally appropriate learning methods are designed to facilitate access to school and raise families’ awareness of the importance of education, without calling the traditional way of life into question. 

The jury was particularly impressed by the fact that the project reaches one of Tanzania’s most marginalised communities and does not view education as being at odds with the traditional way of life. It creates new avenues for Hadzabe children to access their right to education whilst respecting their cultural identity.

Furthermore, close cooperation with local authorities provides a solid foundation for the sustainable implementation and subsequent scaling up of the approach. The consistent consideration of gender and inclusion issues, as well as the project team’s strong commitment during the presentation, were also viewed positively in the assessment.

As a first step, CASEE will trial the mobile learning model in one local authority for five months. The insights gained from this will be directly incorporated into the further development of the approach. The project will then be extended to three local authorities during a seven-month trial phase.

The aim is to investigate how many children make use of the learning programmes, how their learning potential develops, and whether more children are able to enrol in school or continue their education. The results are expected to provide important insights into how mobile learning programmes can effectively reach disadvantaged children.