Our Current Work

Research on scaling learning model to children in emergency and host contexts

Working with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), we are providing tablet-based instruction to children in emergency settings, as well as in four government schools in the region.

Over the course of our 20-month project in Tanzania, we plan to reach over 1800 children in partnership with the International Rescue Committee. This research will build important evidence for scaling this learning model to thousands more children in need in emergency and host contexts. (Results to be published 2023.)

Nyarugusu Refugee Camp kigoma, Tanzania

Kigoma
Nyarugusu Refugee Camp and host community in Kigoma, Tanzania

Implementation Partner:
International Rescue Committee

Projected Students Served:
1800

Tanzania Impact At a Glance

Children Served

1,545

Program Sites

5

Tablets Distributed

250

Hours on Tablet

14,700

Early Pilots and Evidence-Building in Tanzania

NYARUGUSU REFUGEE CAMP

Serving children through a supplemental learning program designed for grades 1, 2, and 3 and offered during the 8-week break between school years.

Location: Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Kigoma, Tanzania
Curriculum and Language of Instruction: Math and Literacy (in Swahili)
Research Focus: How much additional learning in literacy and numeracy do children gain through the program? What is the cost-effectiveness of the intervention?
Type of Study: Implementation study followed by an efficacy RCT and cost-effectiveness study.

HOST COMMUNITY IN KIGOMA

Serving children through an after-school supplemental learning program in four primary schools and designed for grades 1, 2, and 3.

Location: Kigoma, Tanzania
Curriculum and Language of Instruction: Math and Literacy (in Swahili)
Research Focus: How much additional learning in literacy and numeracy do children gain through the program? What is the cost-effectiveness of the intervention?
Type of Study: Implementation study followed by an efficacy RCT and cost-effectiveness study.

State of Education in Tanzania

Over 80,000 children and youth in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp face a myriad of barriers to learning.

Refugees and displaced persons are disproportionately affected by the world’s learning crisis due to barriers such as overcrowded classrooms, lack of qualified teachers, and limited or no educational materials. For example, in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, there is a 1:165 teacher-to-student ratio. For the Congolese, 45% of girls and boys are in pre-primary, 98% attend primary school and only 60% attend secondary school.

Total number of school-aged children in Nyarugusu: 145,000+

Percent of children enrolled in school: 56%

The Sites

Tanzania