Karibu Tanzania Association(KTA) is an umbrella organization where by all 55 Folk Development Colleges(FDCs) in Tanzania are members. KTA has operated as NGO since 1990; Its role is to strengthen the colleges(FDCs) in order for them to be able to fulfill their tasks. Together with FDCs, KTA play an important role in working with the local community and the local civil society organizations in promoting a better understanding,knowledge and respect for human rights and the connection between these rights and problems that are present in everyday life in most parts of rural Tanzania. To do so KTA is also cooperating with its sister organization in Sweden "Karibu Sweden Association(KSA)" and other partners. KTA cooperates with KSA to strengthen the sister school relationship between Folk Development Colleges in Tanzania and the Folk High Schools in Sweden.
KTA vision is to have a democratic society with social development. And its mission is to work with Folk Development Colleges to raise the level of awareness to less privileged people within the community through using Adult Education as its tool for sustanable development.
2.0: PROGRAMS CONDUCTED BY KTA:
(i) Trainee program:
Participants from Farnebo folkhighschool in Sweden do an eight months long internship at the FDC’s. The program contains an exchange whereby FDC teachers visit Sweden to work at the folk high schools and visit other places. In the trainee program KTA collaborate with ECOVIC.
Overall objectives for the program
To strengthen cooperation between grassroots organizations for achieving global justice and sustainable development
A clear gender equality perspective on sustainable development and development of knowledge is to be brought forward
The program is to contribute to raising awareness on HIV and AIDS as a question of global justice
What is to be attained in 1-3 years time?
The internship is to raise the trainees’ commitment to fight for global justice
All stakeholders and their cooperation for fighting for global justice is to be strengthened by the trainees attaining new knowledge and experience
The work for global justice is to have had more attention in Sweden as a consequence of the information- and advocacy work the trainees have performed
Specific objectives for the trainees
Objectives for the internship
The trainees are to perform their internship according to receiving organizations plans and with active participation
They are to perform their internship with self conscience and reflection and a humility to the situation at the receiving organization
The trainees are to contribute with their work experience, experiences from working with grass roots organizations and education
The trainees are to have a raised awareness on global justice, environmental issues, democracy and gender equality
The trainees are to have gained a larger knowledge and understanding for different living conditions and cultural differences
The trainees should have a larger insight into international cooperation and it’s possibilities and difficulties
The trainees have contributed in raising awareness of a gender perspective on HIV and AIDS with their organizations
The trainees are to have gotten motivation, knowledge and self confidence to keep on working, with commitment, for global justice. 
The trainees are to contribute pedagogical participatory methods and methods for reflection that they have learn t about during preparations at Färnebo Folk High School.
(ii): Distance Diploma Course in Adult and Continuing Education.
Lack of teachers and lack of qualified teachers in the colleges is a major problem that contributes to FDC’s not being able to fulfill their work. In cooperation with Institute of Adult Education, Karibu Sweden Association (KSA), TTU(Tanzania Teachers Union), Linköpings University in Sweden and SFHL (Swedish trade union for Folkhigh school teachers) KTA is planning to conduct Teachers In-service training. There is a need for the teachers to get possibility to study diploma in adult and continuing education in distance. When materialized, the teachers will acquire new knowledge but in the same time get the possibility to stay at their workplace and go on with their teaching roles. After completing the course, teachers will have enough knowledge to work with the target groups, low educated adults. With the right teaching and learning methods, the FDC participants and the community members will be able to extract their vast life experience, skills and put them in use and be able to better their life. In a long run, this will full fill the FDCs role and task to work with adult and civic education, rural development and poverty alleviation.
The official launching was on 25th Feb.2011 in the Institute of Adult Education-Dar es Salaam, there after followed by the first face to face lecture session at Wamo - Morogoro. The next face to face session will be on June this year.
Participants together with Facilitators during face to face session .
Director of the Institute of Adult Education,Facilitors from IAE and Linkoping University together with the Participants.
Mr. Maggid and Facilitators from Institute of Adult Education working for the Program.
Speech at the Lauching Ceremony of Diploma in Adult and Continuing Education at the Institute of Adult Education on 25th Feb.2011
The Institute of Adult Education in collaboration with Karibu Tanzania Association have developed a Diploma in Adult and Continuing Education through Open and Distance Learning. The programme is planned for capacity building to teachers of Folk Development Colleges and other adult educators on matters related to facilitation/teaching of adults. The programme will be pursued for a minimum of three and maximum of four years to allow participants have sufficient time to accomplish the proposed modules. Emphasis will b on learning by place emphasis on reason, reflection and practical thinking. Ambassador Lennarth Hjelmåker from the Swedish Embassy attended the launching ceremony of the programme and held a speech in which he emphasized the linkages between the model of Swedish Folk High Schools and Folk Development Colleges in Tanzania. He also stressed the importance of adult education and education for democracy and human rights related to community development.
Honorable representatives of Government, from the the Ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children and the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training,
Director and staff of the Institute of Adult Education,
Representatives from Karibu Tanzania Association,
Representatives from Linköping University in Sweden,
Participants of the new Diploma program in Adult and Continuing Education,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Friends.
First of all, let me thank you all for inviting me, and my colleague at the Embassy, Dr Stellan Arvidsson Hyving, to this important event.
This event, the launching of Diploma in Adult Education and Continuing Education through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Mode of Delivery is of utmost importance. And I am very glad to take part in this launch, together with many friends, both from Tanzania and Sweden.
The event is about education, and about learning. Never before has there been so much talk about ‘learning’ – and not only about learning by children, but learning by all members of society, organizational units, business, and even society as a whole. This is not to say that it has never happened before, but now such learning is being measured, quantified, certified, recognized, and actively promoted. Soon, refusing to learn will become, I would day, almost a crime. The survival of our economy, our entire civilization, it is sometimes argued, depends on learning and knowledge. But even without maybe going that far I believe that we all agree that learning and knowledge affects very many part of society. Yet, adult education in developing countries has always been trapped between meager attention and scares resources on one side and on the other side very, and I would say even overly ambitious, expectations of creating self-esteem, empowerment, citizenship-building, community organization, labor skills, income generation, and even poverty alleviation. If governments and development partners expect adult education to have important impact on the lives of adults, they must invest more, and accompany it with major and broader economic and social reforms. Innovation and pedagogical improvement can do little in a hostile economic and social context.
In addition, education and learning have to become useful and relevant for people’s daily lives and struggles. This requires bringing education and learning close to the people, developing the learning potential and efforts of local communities within a comprehensive and integrated local development strategy, with financial support from intermediate and central levels in order to ensure feasibility, quality and equity. Adult education will have to address the question of how adult learning can contribute to organizational change and transformation, taking into account the vested interests and power structures that maintain the status quo.
This comes very close to the values and principles of Folk Development Education in the Nordic countries. For us this kind of education is a democratic process, based on solidarity between people. It promotes equality and counteracts hierarchical structures at all levels. It adopts a definite standpoint in favour of those who are excluded, who are educationally, socially and culturally disadvantaged. The teachers within Folk Development Education have to apply a participative learning pedagogy to promote democratic attitudes and behavior as well as analytical thinking in order to release the creative powers within the students.
We all know about the long standing and close relationship between Tanzania and Sweden. For very many Swedes your first president, Julius Nyerere’s, mwalimu, is also well known. His educational vision articulated in his speeches and writings are today classic literature, and often quoted in international adult education. The adult education, which President Nyerere proposed in the Declaration of Dar es Salaam, was an education of lifelong learning and an education of liberation. Moreover, Nyerere states that one of the primary and most significant functions of adult education is to develop consciousness and critical awareness among the people about the need, and desire for change and an understanding that change is possible. Nyerere describe the teacher who is a leader, “a guide along a path which all will travel together”. The teacher of adults is not giving to another something, which he possesses. He is helping the learner to develop his own potential and his own capacity. As we can see much of Nyerere’s thoughts are equivalent to the characteristics of Folk Development Education; free and voluntary, governed by the participants, rooted in the life world. His educational philosophy aims at mobilizing the people, just like the Folk High Schools has been doing in Sweden.
When Julius Nyerere visited Sweden in the 1960’s he took special interest in the Folk High Schools and asked Sweden for assistance in a major adult education program. In 1975 the first Folk Development colleges opened and the number of colleges soon grew and the FDCs were spread all over Tanzania. And when Tanzania asked for capacity support the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida, responded positively and sent an adult educator to the newly established Institute of Adult Education already in 1968. The training of teachers took place at Kibaha Education Centre and was run by adult teachers from Sweden.
In the beginning the colleges were also provided with money from the Government of Sweden, through Sida, as well as from the Tanzanian Government. During the past years there have been tight relations between the Folk High Schools in Sweden and the Folk Development Colleges in Tanzania.
After more than 30 years the FDCs are still alive, but in a tougher economic context; without any direct financial support from Sida and support only to teachers’ salaries and smaller grants from the Tanzanian government.
Still, some of the organizations that Sida support , such as Forum Syd, have continued to support Folk Development Education in Tanzania. And today we acknowledge the cooperation between I would say “stubborn and visionary” people and institutions from both Tanzania and Sweden within the area of adult education, folk development education, and distance learning. We salute the Institute of Adult Education, Karibu Tanzania Association, Karibu Sweden Association, Teachers’ Trade Union in Tanzania, Forum Syd, and Linköping University in Sweden.
However, maybe the most important thing is that the Government of Tanzania is committed to take ownership of this program to promote skills related to teaching and management of adult learners among adult education practitioners.
This is not the end of a process, but the beginning of a journey – one more time! We believe this course will enable people in the society to acquire their democratic rights and responsibilities and provide education for adults, especially for the Tanzanians living in the rural areas. The Embassy of Sweden will follow the program closely since this is an interesting initiative, which can be even more innovative, if looking into the possibility of using Information and Communication Technology to enhance the quality of the program.
I am honored of being invited to this launching ceremony and I wish the facilitators, the pedagogical experts from Sweden and Tanzania and the forty teachers of FDCs in the pilot group success. We also wish the program a bright future.
Asante sana
(iii) Mama Course program, right to education.
Background
The Karibu Tanzania Associations have since 2000 been running a co-operative project through some of their members (Ilula, Ulembwe and Njombe FDC and Färnebo FHSK and Västerberg FHSK in Gävle and Storvik). The colleges have provided education for young women who have been forced to leave school prematurely because of pregnancy, so called “Single Mothers Courses”. The experience from these courses are very good and there is a great need for further efforts for this target group.
Target group
The target group for the project are single mothers who have not been able to complete their schooling because of pregnancy and childbirth. The women are approximately 18-30 years old. The courses are planned and run by the FDC:s. The course participants get to influence the courses through the evaluations and seminars that are conducted at the colleges. The outcome of these evaluations is of great importance to further planning and development of the course- concept.
Overall goals
Contribute to strengthened self-confidence and position in society for young women in the countryside
Change the attitudes towards women and girls that make it possible for men to take advantage of them and use them
Single-mothers courses will be spread to other FDC:s, and in the long run will be funded by government funding
Strengthen the role of the FDC:s as progressive institutions in the countryside
Contribute to decreasing the spread of HIV/Aids
Contribute to the effort of poverty reduction
Contribute to awareness consciousness hence helping the society be free from diseases
Bring gender balance within the community
Project-related goals
The women will have better capability to protect themselves from HIV/Aids and they will contribute
to furthering knowledge to other women in the local societies.
Increased competence among teachers at the FDC:s in issues concerning women and children’s rights
Better an more thorough discussion at the FDC:s about the chain of cause and consequence regarding
the problems the women face, and the role men play in the problems.
Activities
The project consists of two major parts:
Single Mothers Courses
The courses provide the single mothers with different types of vocational training and methods for starting and maintaining income generating projects. The courses are adjusted to the participants’ prerequisites and the local environment of respective FDC in order for the courses to be of good use to the participants. All participants are subject to follow –up after they have completed their studies. Discussions about HIV/Aids are conducted continuously.
The last three years the program has developed and has been held at five FDC’s with a total of 60
participants with their children boarding at the colleges. The participants have attended one year courses. KTA has developed a course outline whereby practical subjects are mixed with theoretical studies such as life skills, entrepreneurship, child care and language. Parallel to the one year courses, the teachers have had short courses in order to be able to work with the mama course program and its participants. A preschool project has been connected to the program. Preschool teachers have got the possibility to undergo some training. An important part of the project is the advocacy. KTA does network with other organizations in order to raise awareness on different issues such as everyone’s right to education. From 2010 KTA has got funds to conduct two year courses for a total of 45 participants at three FDC’s. Some funds are allocated to teachers training with teachers from the three colleges together with teachers from other colleges which have shown interest to join the program. An important part in the program is the networking with other organizations in order to raise the important question of everyone’s right to education.
Everyone has equal rights to Education,KTA gives second chance to young women who are dropped from schools because of pregnancy in Folk Development Colleges.
The KTA chairperson receiving office equipments for Mamacourse Program
Haki Elimu visited KTA office to see areas for cooperation. They were much interested with mama course Program.
(iv) College Community Library
The project's objectives are to establish and to develop a concept for local knowledge centers. These centers will create a dynamic force for local development in their immediate surroundings. The libraries are run locally with a library committee containing members from each college, teachers, non teaching staff, participants plus representatives from the local community surrounding the college. There are books to borrow, magazines to read. Different shapes of study circles and clubs to attend. Films are shown. The libraries have also some sport activities. A vision is that the libraries will give training in how to organize a basic democratic structure. The libraries will be a place of platform for people to come together to discuss their reality and tries by themselves and/or together to change it. The project is conducted in three colleges up to now, Ilula FDC, Njombe FDC and Ulembwe FDC. The vision is that after a few years the project should be conducted to more than 10 colleges since the project is highly demanded by the community. KTA is also cooperating with RLRDP from Zimbabwe where by they have much experience in conductingb rural Library. In this year 2011,KTA will make an Exchange program to Zimbabwe in order to gain experience from RLRDP.
College Community Library in Ilula Folk Development College
The Nation Council of Adult Education from Sweden during their visit at Ilula College Community Library
College Community Library workshop in Ilula FDC
Involving the community around FDCs in different trainings
(v) KTA and KSA board exchange.
In order to strengthen and develop the cooperation between KTA and KSA the two boards conducts an exchange. Deeper discussions about the cooperation, priorities in the collaboration and future plans takes place. The objective of this is to strengthen our cooperation as well as eliminating future constraints of organization sustainability.
Mr. George Oscar Mangoma the Chairperson of KTA welcoming KSA Board Members
CHALLENGES:
In our currently and future plans, we do face a number of challenges as mentioned below;
Distance Diploma Course in Adult and Continuing Education for FDC’s Teachers
Financial shortage to run the program. Funds is allocated for two years. NACTE decided the course duration to be three years. One year is not covered financially.
The budget is not enough to run the program. There is lack of funds for purchase of materials and paying facilitators.
Mainstreaming the program in the ministry budget will ease be faced problems.
Mama Course program
KTA have in hand funds for 45 participants for period of three years. There is a big need to scale up the project and support young mothers to get the second chance in their life, but, luck of enough funds leave a very little room to reach many of young mothers in need.
Mainstreaming the program in the ministry budget will ease be faced problems.
Library project
There is a shortage of funds for buying reading materials and hiring personnel, though KTA has clear vision on how to reach the target groups; children, grownups and youth. However, FDC’s involved in this pilot project have plans for conducting income generating projects. The available small amount of money will be used to purchase reading materials. The project plans is to scale up the activities to more FDCs. There is a need for external support for this project.
CONTACTS INFORMATION:
KARIBU TANZANIA ASSOCIATION,
AKIBA HOUSE BUILDINGS,
2nd FLOOR, ROOM NO; 221,
P.O.BOX 246,
IRINGA.
Visit at: www.kaributanzaniaassociation.blogspot.com
Mobile: +255262700315/767709209/784979154/763787180
Join and Support Karibu Tanzania Association for the development of the community.
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