Tanzania

Improving how children learn to read and write 

Room to Read works directly in schools to train educators and improve literacy curricula for grades 1 and 2 through data-driven approaches that measurably improve students’ skills. Room to Read’s learning resources are specifically designed around the various African languages and dialects and accommodate learning strategies appropriate for early-grade learners. Given the complex structure of words in some African languages, teachers encourage students to use their arms to practice sounding out syllables by tracking each sound along their arms, building words from their shoulders toward their hands. To ensure teachers are supported by strategies and guides like this, Room to Read literacy facilitators train and provide ongoing coaching on best practices, following Room to Read’s best-in-class materials.  

Preparing teachers to be effective instructors

Improving teachers’ skills and knowledge, especially before they enter the classroom, transforms learning outcomes for generations of students. Room to Read trains educators at the local and national levels, ensuring teachers are supported with the resources and expertise they need to build strong literacy skills in all children.

Increasing access to quality children’s books 

To ensure more children benefit from books written in their local language, Room to Read trains local authors and illustrators to develop and publish a wider range of books, ensuring children can access stories that interest them and in languages they understand. These publishing efforts incorporate methods like developing more decodable stories, which offer tools like rhymes and repetitive words to help children comprehend the letters and sounds they practice in class. 

Combatting harmful gender norms

Through the Girls’ Education Program, adolescent girls in secondary school receive comprehensive support through mentorship, life skills education, material support, and familial and community engagement. Room to Read is the only organization in Tanzania that offers a stand-alone life skills education package that helps adolescent girls develop the knowledge and tools they need to advocate for their educations and futures.  

Advocating for systemic change 

Room to Read demonstrates best practices that can be scaled and adopted nationally. Our work stands apart in the education sector for being preventive rather than reactive, driving positive changes in education systems. We establish demonstration schools that showcase our programs to local district and provincial governments so they can learn best practices. And we work alongside government partners to improve national educational standards and guidelines and strengthen primary school curricula.

Our team recently helped develop Tanzania's national literacy curricula for grades 1 and 2, and our life skills education guidelines have been granted initial approvals from the Tanzania Institute of Education, creating pathways for our life skills content to be implemented in schools across the country.