Room to Read Partnership Poised to Support 1.4 Million Children

Room to Read has worked to advance literacy, the local language children’s book publishing industry and gender equality since we launched our Literacy and Girls’ Education Programs in Tanzania in 2012. Initially working in the Morogoro Region, we have now reached the Pwani and Tanga Regions to support the educational landscape.

We are proud to have supported system-level change in Tanzania by developing high-quality teaching and learning materials. As part of USAID’s Tusome Pamoja (Let’s Read Together) project, Room to Read partnered with RTI International and the ministries of education in Tanzania to improve Swahili-language teaching and learning materials in the country. We produced a total of 116 fiction and nonfiction books for students in Grades 1 to 4, and we scripted lessons for teachers to use in literacy instruction for all four grades. These materials were shared in 3,000 local primary schools, supporting an estimated more than 1.4 million children.

Financial Education Curriculum

We also began our innovative Financial Education Life Skills (FELS) clubs in Tanzania beginning in 2018. Building from our life skills education programming, we developed a financial education curriculum in partnership with Aflatoun International, the leading expert in financial skills programs for children and youth in developing countries. FELS clubs focus on financial empowerment, financial inclusion and financial literacy for girls. In the first year of the project, we supported 2,722 girls at 10 schools and saw impressive increases in girls’ financial and entrepreneurial knowledge. Tanzanian community members also emphasized that these skills are particularly important to help girls build a life once they graduate.