Delivering Learning Resources to Underserved Communities in Tanzania: The Ubongo and Hempel Foundation Partnership

Strategy and Implementation

To maximize reach and engagement, Ubongo used multiple distribution channels:

• Educational Institutions: Partnered with schools, from daycare to primary levels, leveraging existing infrastructure.
• Households: Engaged parents and caregivers to facilitate content access at home.
• Community Partnerships: Collaborated with local groups to distribute content and establish sustainable engagement.
• Government Collaboration: Utilized iPads provided by the government to preload educational content for teachers.

Key Achievements

Expanded Reach:

• Reached approximately 1,158,179 children across eighteen regions in Tanzania, including Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Mara, Singida, Shinyanga, Kigoma, Mwanza, Simiyu, Geita, Kagera, Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Pwani, Tabora, Mbeya, Songwe, and Manyara.

Community Engagement:

• Established a network of community ambassadors in target regions to promote Ubongo content and raise awareness about its benefits.

Parental Involvement:

• Increased engagement from parents in their children’s education through various outreach efforts, encouraging active participation and support at home.

School Integration:

• Successfully distributed educational content to numerous primary, nursery, and daycare centers, with significant positive feedback and demand from teachers and education officers.

Resource Centers:

• Established 48 community resource centers in electrified schools, allowing parents and children to borrow educational materials and enhancing access to learning resources.

Public Events and Watch Parties:

• Hosted 28 public events and several watch parties, which were effective in creating brand awareness and encouraging caregivers to support their children’s learning through Ubongo’s content.

Partnerships:

• Formed partnerships with local community groups, childcare centers, NGOs, CSOs, and broadcasters to ensure sustainable and widespread distribution of content.

Broadcast Airtime:

• Increased viewership and listenership of Ubongo content through partnerships with broadcasters

Challenges

• Infrastructure Limitations: Many schools lacked electricity or necessary devices.
• Content Access: Ensuring consistent access outside school hours was challenging.
• Regulatory Delays: Obtaining timely permits for content distribution affected timelines and costs.
• Limited Radio Content:  Ubongo has produced limited radio-specific materials, making content distribution via radio channels challenging. Over the past year, Ubongo has conducted extensive research on creating radio-specific content that maintains learning outcomes beyond TV. To support this effort, a Radio Producer has been added to the team.
• Permits: Obtaining timely permits for content distribution proved to be a challenge.

Lessons Learned

• Local Authority Engagement: Crucial for community buy-in and sustainable distribution.
• Adaptability: Needed to accommodate diverse regional needs and capabilities.
• Community Feedback: Vital for refining methods and content relevance.

The Journey Ahead

Moving forward, Ubongo plans to sustain content distribution in these regions while continuously monitoring its impact. This includes ongoing collaboration with established partners to ensure the work’s continuity and maximize reach to as many children as possible. Insights gained from the pilot will guide the development of the most sustainable and efficient content distribution strategies. Utilizing the extensive network of ground distribution officers will ensure widespread access to educational content across Tanzania and potentially other countries where Ubongo operates.