Education in Tanzania: Hope and future through ECD centers

Report on the visit of our volunteer Petra Scherweit

February 4, 2025 – The journey begins
Our trip to Tanzania revolved entirely around our official program. Together with our regional partner MPDI, we traveled to the region north of Arusha, near the Kenyan border. There, we were warmly welcomed by Mohamed, the director of MPDI, and introduced to the impressive work of his organization.

Insight into a growing school landscape
Our first stop was Embalwa School, a primary school initiated by MPDI. Despite our unannounced visit, we received a warm welcome. The school has several classrooms, sanitary facilities, and accommodation for teachers. It was particularly inspiring to see how a small initiative—an Early Childhood Development (ECD) center—can grow into a full-fledged school. Once a first classroom is established, the government often takes over and expands it into a full-fledged primary school.

Grand opening in the village of Isitet
Our journey continued deep into the bush, to Isitet Village, where we attended the ceremonial opening of a new ECD center. Together with the regional chancellor, who was in the midst of his election campaign, we participated in the ceremony and the official village assembly. The future of the center and its possible conversion into a primary school were discussed intensively. The chancellor announced that construction of two classrooms would begin soon, and the first building materials would be delivered this week.
A special highlight: We delivered the happy news that Kidshare will be supplying the new center with solar power—a significant step toward improving learning conditions. After a small celebration with goat meat and Coca-Cola, we continued our journey.

Warm welcome at the Osunyai ECD Centre
In the afternoon, we visited the Osunyai ECD Center, which opened a year ago. A big surprise awaited us: the village community had organized a celebration for us! With singing, dancing, and warm greetings, we shared joyful moments. The gratitude was palpable, and we learned that new building materials for additional classrooms have already arrived – here, too, a small center is growing into a primary school. Currently, 61 children attend the center, but the number continues to grow as registration is still open.

February 5, 2025 – Education and Community Spirit
Today we visited several educational projects that once again demonstrated how crucial early childhood education is for children's futures.

Lipolosi ECD – A new center with great potential
Our first stop was the Lipolosi ECD Center, a newly built center that already serves 80 children. Two dedicated teachers care for the little ones with passion. But there are challenges: A second classroom is urgently needed, as is a well to ensure a water supply. Despite these hurdles, it was moving to see what has already been achieved and how important this center is for the children's future.

Munge ECD & Primary School – Education for 578 children
The tour continued to Munge Elementary School, which has a total of 578 children. In addition to a classroom for the youngest children, there are classrooms for grades 1 through 7. A major highlight: thanks to private donors, a new water source was recently installed, making everyday school life much easier. The children now have direct access to clean water – a major step forward in hygiene and organization.

Masama Rundugai – A new project with strong commitment
Finally, we visited the village of Masama Rundugai, where a new ECD center is planned. Although funding has not yet been secured, the village community is showing great commitment: Land has already been made available, and the collection of stones for the construction has begun. Around 80 children from three surrounding villages could immediately benefit from early childhood education here. This project impressively demonstrates how committed the local people are to their children's futures—they just need a little support to make it a reality.

Conclusion: Every step counts
We've long known about the importance of early childhood education in Africa, but these two days truly understood it: Tanzania has around 120 different tribes, each with its own language. Since primary school instruction is held in Swahili, children from remote villages often face great difficulties because they only speak their native language. The ECD centers introduce them to Swahili at an early age—thus laying the foundation for their educational careers. This significantly reduces dropout rates and opens up real educational opportunities.

These days have shown us once again how much hope and future lies in education. We look forward to continuing to follow the development of these projects—and, above all, to seeing the children's smiling faces again.

Every place we visited demonstrated how crucial education is—and what a profound difference commitment and support can make. There's still much work ahead, but also hope, progress, and an impressive community fighting for its children. We're excited to see how these projects continue to develop—and we're following this inspiring journey with great confidence!