Literacy & Girls' Education Nonprofit at Work in Tanzania

Room to Read Tanzania works with the government to scale efforts that ensure the best results in primary school literacy education. Our work also safeguards girls’ rights to quality education, supporting them to stay in school, improve their standard of living and contribute to national development.

Room to Read launched its work in Tanzania in 2010 to help improve access to quality education and has since established a strong presence in the country as a trusted partner to the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE). To date, the government has adopted several of Room to Read’s approaches into national curricula and policies. For example, we helped develop the new national Grades 1 and 2 literacy curricula, and Room to Read’s Life Skills Education guidelines have been granted initial approvals from TIE, creating pathways for these curriculum improvements to be implemented in schools across Tanzania.

In Tanzania, Room to Read implements two key programs:

Literacy: Room to Read provides local educators with the training and resources they need to ensure more students are more effectively learning learn how to read and write. Room to Read also equips schools to establish and maintain child-friendly libraries, filled with colorful, local language books developed by local authors and illustrators, in partnership with Room to Read.
Girls’ Education and Gender Equality: Room to Read supports secondary school students with mentorship and life skills workshops to help adolescents — especially girls — navigate the many challenges, biases and pressures they face, including the pressure to drop out of school early.