We鈥檙e a part of USAID and RTI International鈥檚 in Tanzania which aims to improve early learning outcomes for 1.4 million primary school children.
Learning together
Through the project, we鈥檙e supporting radio producers, presenters, and reporters in five regions of the country (Iringa, Morogoro, Mtwara, Ruvuma and Zanzibar) to produce a weekly radio show called Soma Nami, meaning 鈥榬ead with me鈥�.
Soma Nami features drama, music, discussions among parents, teachers and education experts, and interviews with children about their lives and the challenges they face finding time for schoolwork and learning at home. The show aims to increase understanding of the supportive role parents, carers, and community leaders can play in helping their children鈥檚 education outside of the classroom.
Informed by research
For many children in Tanzania, staying in school and getting an education are significant challenges. Many are expected to take on a large share of their family鈥檚 domestic labour 鈥� be it cleaning, cooking, looking after younger siblings, or walking long distances to collect water.
To get an in-depth understanding of the issues faced by children and families, our researchers spent time in households throughout the project鈥檚 five regions. They observed the ways in which families talk about children鈥檚 education and the support that parents and caregivers are able to offer. This helped them to develop insights about the things holding children back, which fed into many of the topics covered in the radio show.
Training and mentoring
We鈥檙e helping radio stations to develop ideas for Soma Nami and build their production skills so they can produce high-quality content every week that is relevant to the show鈥檚 audiences.
Senior mentor-trainer for the project, Pendael Omari, said: 鈥淭rainees tell us that the show and its format are new to them and we are helping them to learn a lot about production. They also tell us that they like learning by doing, so that鈥檚 an important feature of our approach.鈥�
Project information
| Project name | Tusome Pamoja |
| Funders |
and |
| Dates | 2018-2019 |
| Themes | Education |
| Outputs | Capacity strengthening for stations to produce radio show Soma Nami |
| Broadcast Partners | Abood FM, Jogoo FM, Furaha FM, Keys FM, Newala FM, Nuru FM, Safari FM |