Project News

Japanese teachers playing with local children

On Aug 14th and 15th, 9 Japanese teachers and 1 crew from Television Kanagawa visited Maseyu village, one of the O&OD project sites, as a part of the development education study tour. They visited some sites where villagers are building pre-primary school and dispensary by their own initiative, two primary schools, and a local women's group.

Through interview and exchange meetings, the teachers learned on the life of villages in Tanzania. The teachers reviewed their own roles, facilitating children's ownership by absorbing ward facilitator's function to promote dramatic changes of villagers working together for a better village.

The village teachers were also stimulated by Japanese teacher's way of being friendly to students and winning their trust; contrary to their traditional ways of keeping order through corporal punishment. Japanese teachers and village people exchanged their own cultures through Japanese traditional songs and dances and Tanzanian style skipping rope.