Social Issue

The earliest years of life are pivotal to forming the foundations for healthy development and providing children with the opportunity to reach their full potential. However, many children in developing countries experience serious deficits in health, nutrition, and proper stimulation in their early years. The effects of delayed development in the early years can be long-lasting, reinforcing intergenerational poverty. Early childhood development programs are seen as a promising way to prevent such delays and foster early development. 

In the rural areas in Tanzania, most children do not have access to early learning centres and in Kigoma, only a little more than 20% of children between the ages of 3 and 6 have access to some type of education.

Our Response

Netri is supporting a joint project of KARIBIA and the local NGO LEARN N’PLAY for the construction of a totally free school for 96 children from 3 to 6 years old from families living in the neighbourhood of Kichangachui in Kigoma (Tanzania), 

The aim of this school is to have all these children have access to early educational stimulation since their families cannot afford the expenses required to send their children to preschool facilities.

​The school consists of 3 classrooms, a teachers’ room, toilets, a kitchen, a dining room, a warehouse, and a playground. A daily meal is also served to all the children to ensure that they benefit from it. 

To ensure the sustainability of the school, the running costs will be supplemented by a business that sells organic honey collected in the region.

Expected Social Impact

By providing an opportunity to go to an early learning centre, it is hoped that these children will have the appropriate level of stimulation and nutrition to maximise their learning opportunities throughout their lives. To measure the impact, Karibia and Learn n Play will be monitoring the progress of the children, comparing them to a comparable group of children who did not have the opportunity to access preschool education. They will carry out the study during the first 5 years of primary school.