Walking together in the School Co-operation

Eager pupils in Sahwa School. Pic: Ruusa Gawaza

As the 2013-2014 project period is approaching its end, I took the opportunity to travel to Mwanza for an evaluation of the project activities. My first priority was to visit the project schools, especially the new ones that have joined the project only about a year ago. So we visited Mirongo, Mabatini, Iseni, Igoma and Sahwa Primary Schools during the first few days of my stay.

Between March-May 2014 a lot of activities were conducted in the school co-operation. First 2 teachers from Mirongo and Mabatini Schools accompanied by 2 Academic Officers from Mwanza City came to Tampere for a work exchange. In return, 3 teachers from Rahola, Juhannuskylä and Atala Schools as well as a School Social Worker from Juhannuskylä School came to Mwanza to hold a teacher training seminar and to spend some time in the Mwanza Schools. Also, a TAMK trainee spent 6 months in Mwanza going around in different schools and teaching about composting and environmental management. 

I had the opportunity to discuss with many teachers in the project schools and it was evident that these exchange visits and trainings had brought many new activities and practices to the schools. All of the interviewed teachers mentioned that they were taught to use assistant teachers in the classes to help manage the huge group sizes. The assistant teachers are chosen amongst the more advanced pupils in the class. They assist the teacher with some of the pupils while the teacher can spend more time and energy on some others.  Pupils get much more assistance now and their individual learning phases are taken more into account. The learning results of the pupils have gone up since they are now assisted more by this method.

Some schools have also established guidance counselling groups. These groups consist of different pupils from different classes and they address different issues and problems of pupils according to their needs. Pupil to pupil approach helps the children to open up more about their problems and the guiding pupils can give advice based on their own experience. As a result for example in Mirongo School, stealing in classrooms has decreased because the pupils have been discussing the issue together. Also dodging school has decreased because pupils are getting peer advice and example from other pupils who have gone through the same problems.

Evaluation meeting with Iseni teachers. Pic: Ruusa Gawaza

Group teaching and learning has now also become an important part of many schools daily teaching routines. Pupils are divided into groups in one class and they are encouraged to share and discuss more and learn from one another. In some schools the slower learners are also provided with  additional classes after school.

Sahwa and Igoma, that have been in the project for a long time, are well involved in the environmental activities, for example composting. However, I was also very happy to see that for example Mirongo and Mabatini Schools have quickly adopted many of the new environmental management methods through the trainings. Mabatini School, in particular, which is located on the slopes of a hill, suffers a lot from soil erosion because the school yard is quite bare. However, due to the encouragement of the project they have now started planting a lot of trees and other plants on the school yards. They have implemented composting and used the manure for the fertilization of the tree seedlings. The school yard is slowly improving and becoming greener. Also, Mirongo has used the composting method to revive the school garden. They have also invited members of the community to observe the concrete results of composting.

Protecting the environment in Mabatini School by using compost manure as a fertilizer. Pic: Ruusa Gawaza

These are just a few examples that I can mention from the evaluation of the school co-operation. But all in all, I have to say that I’m highly impressed by the motivation and involvement of the teachers and pupils in the project activities. These improvements might sound small to some, but listening to the excitement and deep engagement of the teachers and the pride in which they spoke about the new teaching methods and other activities in their school, I’m more and more convinced that small things eventually grow into something big. On a large scale these might be baby steps, but on a teacher’s or pupil’s individual level, they can have a much bigger influence than we can ever understand.

“If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together” says the proverb. Indeed, in the Tampere-Mwanza Co-Operation, we are walking together and we aim to walk very far. 

Kids are now calling me Ruusa Tampere. Pic: Amin Abdallah

Ruusa Gawaza 
(Project Manager)

Cultural exchange and Global Education

Tampere-Mwanza-cooperation has many important impacts in Tampere, as well. In Tampere one impact is its global education aspect which can be seen for example in schools and kindergartens through cultural activities. Pupils' see and experience the culture of Tanzania and Mwanza through photos, videos, stories and teacher exchange activities as well as exchanging art and crafts with children from Mwanza. At its best, global education increases understanding about the broad world and tolerance towards differenct cultures and people. The school linckages involve 5 Schools in Mwanza and 10 schools and 3 day care centers in Tampere.  Here are some stories from schools that have taken part in the project during the years:

Kaukajärvi and Rahola schools are new to the project, and have been assigned as partner schools with Mirongo and Sahwa.  In Kaukajärvi the project is just starting, but some teachers have already visited Mwanza. The children as of yet, haven’t had the change to participate to the project in the early stages, but there are plenty of ideas for communication and cooperation with Mirongo. Mr Mikko Siippainen, the guidance counselor in Kaukajärvi School, has visited Mwanza and what he would like to bring to the Finnish culture from Tanzania is the positive attitude, relaxed atmosphere, and colors, songs, and laughter.

The kick off event in Rahola School for Mwanza project. Pic: Laura Pokka

In Rahola Primary School one Tuesday morning the hall fills with children in organized queues for a morning assembly.  “Habari za asubuhi!” they answer to the teacher’s greeting, which means "How are you this morning?" in Swahili.  A group of children performs a drum recital influenced by Tanzanian music, which gets loud applauds. Even though the project has just started in the school, it is evident that everybody is eagerly onboard. The purpose of the morning assembly is for the project contact person in the school, teacher Ms Ira Sipponen, to introduce Tansania, Mwanza and their partner school Sahwa to the pupils. There are already some ideas about what will be done in the future, like Mwanza themed week, art, letters, and so on. 

Tampere-Mwanza cooperation's impacts can be seen in the kindergartens ways of playing and involvment of music. In Jussinkylä play school the kids have familiarized themselves with some Tanzanian musical instruments. In this play school Mwanza has been brought closer in a fun way by videos and music from Mwanza, to show the differences and similarities in Tanzanian and Finnish children’s lives.

Kids playing with Tanzanian instruments in Jussinkylä day care center. Pic. Hanna Hjelt

Pispala School has been part of the Mwanza project for several years. In the past two years the first graders did some Mwanza themed art as well as prepared songs for the Schools' Mwanza Concert in Tampere. Also, a Tanzanian musician Menard Mponda came to visit the school and organised a drumming, singing and dancing work shop to the pupils. Teacher visitors from Mwanza have spent some few days in a year in the school. For example, in the spring of 2014 teacher Ms Edna Kidudo from Mirongo School taught some songs and plays to the children. Second graders Jade and Aimo remember the plays and they also remember a few words of Swahili language that teacher Kidudo taught them. They would happily welcome new teacher visitors from Mwanza to their school so that they would learn much more!

Puistokoulu School is a slightly smaller school of about 120 pupils. Also the learning groups are smaller, with only 8 kids in one class, whereas in Mwanza one class can have up to 120 pupils! The project contact person in the school, Mr Maco Oey has been in Mwanza two times as part of the teacher exchange, training and teaching teachers. He will soon leave for his third visit in order to play music and record songs and videos together with the pupils in Mwanza Schools. This material will be used in Tampere schools as part of the global education and Tampere-Mwanza Project activities. Mr Oey feels that the project has given the kids a chance to learn about tolerance, assistance and about the multicultural and international world. He says that the Tanzanian music and rhythm is something Finnish people could learn from and what they can give and teach us. In Puistokoulu school there has also been musical workshops with Mr Menard Mponda and the school takes part to the yearly Mwanza Week School Concert. 

 

Africa inspired painting made by a pupil of Puistokoulu School. Pic. Laura Pokka

The Mwanza Week School Concert has now been organised 3 times in November and is a joint effort of the schools that take part in the project. This year the concert will be organised on the 25th of November and there will be music, drumming and dance performances from 3 schools and 1 day care cente. 

Mwanza Week School Concert in 2013. Pic. Ruusa Gawaza

Text: Trainee Laura Pokka

From Waste Management to Economic Development - Mwanza City visitors in Tampere in October 2014

Learning about Molok Waste Collection System

From Monday 6th October to Wednesday 15th October various people and organizations here in Tampere had the pleasure to host and cooperate with quests from Mwanza Chamber of Commerce Mr Mmari and Mr Karambi and the Department of Economic Planning and Statistics, Mr Kashushura. They had conversations about topics such as entrepreneurship, project and financial management and strategic planning with the experts of respective the fields. Chamber of Commerce officials were at Tampere for one week, but Mr. Joseph Kashushura, Head of the Department of Economic Planning and Statictics in Mwanza had a busy schedule in Tampere for almost two weeks.

Some key issues Joseph Kashushura was interested in were population development, waste management and tourism entrepreneurship. For example population in Tampere is expected to grow by some 33 000 people in 20 years’ time. The same population increase can happen in Mwanza only in one or two years. That  is a big challenge to tackle, since people moving in require some basic services to have their needs met. 

One of the big challenges in the growing city of Mwanza is waste management. Mr Kashushura and his colleagues visited two different kinds of waste management companies in Tampere. From the discussion with Doranova Ltd’s Vice President, Joseph Kashushura got some tips about handling the capacity of the waste dumping site, for example how to generate energy from waste. Working transportation equipment and right tools for waste management are also important in tackling this problem. From Molok Ltd, which specializes in waste deep collection system, Mr Kashuhura got some tips about waste collection and hygienic waste storage, safely and efficiently. In Tanzania there is need for more efficient waste separation, Joseph feels, but he says that the Molok deep collection systems might be too expensive for them. It could be, however, possible to showcase the Molok system in a facility producing lot of waste, like the St. Augustine University, for example. 

Tampere Chamber of Commerce, left: Mr Mmari, Mr Karambi and Mr Kashushura

 In Mwanza lots of people are entrepreneurs. The examples from visit to Ensimetri, the New Enterprice Center, which is an enterprise agency helping people to establish their own business, could be easily brought to Mwanza as well. Joseph says that simple guide books and an information center for small entrepreneurs could be an easy way to start guiding people towards entrepreneurship and to link people with ideas and people with advice. 

One important industry in Tanzania is tourism and that was the topic of discussion with Tredea - Tampere Region Economic Development Agency. One tip Joseph got from there was to invest on improving Mwanza City’s website and advertising on the internet. There are also possibilities to make better use of the near-by Lake Victoria and Serengeti National Park. Offering water-sports and making the city more attractive to safari-goers and advertising the opportunities for hiking and other adventure tourism would attract people to environmentally diverse Mwanza.

From Mr Kashushura’s personal point of view, he explained that he got a lot of small tips and new practices during his visits to different Tampere City Departments in order to improve his own working methods as the City Economist of Mwanza. He saw the importance of strategic leading and planning and that the City Strategy must be a cross-cutting guideline to all city activities. Also, he got new tools for the yearly financial management of the city as well as some tips for Risk Management activities. Mr Kashushura felt that many of the learnt things he can instantly put into practice upon his return to Mwanza. 

Joseph Kashushura in the Tampere City Council Hall

All in all Mr Kashushura felt like the trip had been very, very fruitful and his expectations were met, with proper practical instructions. “We need chances in Mwanza, -- and I’m going to make sure issues are applied instantly, or some more in the long term”. It seems the trip was a success for Mr Kashushura, and hopefully these changes can be seen in the future in Mwanza.

Text: Sustainable Community Unit trainee Ms Laura Pokka

Pictures: Ruusa Gawaza