Greetings from Tanzania!
The busy year of 2024, filled with intense application processes and project preparations, is now behind us. As the new year arrived, Seppo Rantanen and I packed our things and flew to Arusha with KLM on January 17th. The journey kicked off energetically—one could even describe it as eventful. On the second day—Sunday, January 18th—I quickly stepped onto some stairs only to realize my 70-year-old body isn’t what it used to be. My arthritic knee gave out entirely, resulting in an immediate trip to the hospital. After the diagnosis, we continued to the pharmacy, where I obtained crutches. For a while, getting around was quite cumbersome. Thankfully, Seppo was with me, and Nossim here helped manage our practical tasks. Renting a car made it possible for even a person with a knee injury (my left knee, specifically) to move independently.
Negotiations with solar energy system providers and computer vendors went smoothly. However, arranging necessary structural modifications at the schools proved more challenging. Purchasing goods here is straightforward, but securing labor and services is another matter. Pricing tends to be highly variable—indeed, quite intriguing! After numerous meetings, Seppo, Nossim, and I managed to finalize contracts for IT equipment and solar energy systems with local suppliers. The construction works are still a bit ongoing.
Aino Korhonen and her friends joined us after Seppo returned home. Aino’s group enjoyed a well-deserved holiday, after which we entered an intensive work period when Eva, Liisa Ilomäki, and Jarmo Kantosalo arrived on March 4th. The training planning was extensive, filling each day. These professional trainers, familiar with each other’s working styles, managed to create an excellent training package.
Our IT and pedagogical training sessions for selected mentors from partner institutions began on March 10th. Highly motivated and eager-to-learn teachers studied intensively under our organization’s educational professionals Eva Forssén, Aino Korhonen, KT Liisa Ilomäki, and IT trainer Jarmo Kantosalo. Liisa Ilomäki oversees project evaluation.
I had the honor of presenting special educational perspectives alongside Sophia Madaha from Patandi Teacher College. Since one of the trainees was a deaf teacher, our team was strengthened by interpreters Lydia Stanley Kimaro and Wittness Stephen Ngutto. We also received invaluable support from deaf IT technicians Hillary Thobias and Christopher Oswald from Meru Primary School. Our exceptional team generated significant enthusiasm—participants were so engaged they often didn’t want to end sessions on time. We had to gently remind them to leave, as students from Meru Primary School were responsible for cleaning the training space and couldn’t be kept waiting late into the evening.
All our partner schools now have reliable internet connections, allowing us to use Zoom effectively for remote training and meetings. Artificial intelligence is making its way to Tanzania, and our partner schools will incorporate AI tools into their educational practices. The Norwegian platform Schoolhub.ai has generously provided its service free of charge to our project, offering schools a safe and learning-enhancing AI environment.
Last week, we visited Patandi Maalum Secondary School in Arusha, where we observed students completing their exams. The school, located in Tengeru village, provides education for nearly 400 students with various disabilities. We admired their diverse exam-taking methods: one student wrote by holding a pen in their mouth, another used their right foot. Visually impaired or blind students used braille printers (Orbit Reader) and Braille typewriters, taking exams separately to avoid disturbing others. Our admiration and respect for these resilient students have deepened immensely.
Patandi Maalum offers significantly more special support compared to the national average. With funding from the Abilis Foundation, we’ve employed five sign language interpreters to support deaf students, and soon, thanks to additional funding from our Foreign Ministry-funded project “Arusha, Especially,” we will hire yet another interpreter.
The school, now in its fifth year, has one of the country’s best-equipped facilities. A significant donation from the Achiraf Hakim Foundation last year allowed the school to acquire 50 desktop computers for its IT classroom. This changed our project plans slightly, as half of the library space will now become an IT classroom equipped with laptops, requiring additional construction and security installations. Such adjustments seem to be part of the everyday reality in implementing these projects!
An excellent aspect of the school’s culture is gardening and farming. It produces substantial fresh produce for the school kitchen while teaching students practical self-sustainability skills. Promoting small-scale farming is part of our project in collaboration with FFD (the Finnish Agri-Agency for Food and Forest Development in Finland) and its Tanzanian partner, TAHA (Tanzanian Horticultural Association).
Our other partner school, Themi Secondary School, located near Arusha’s city center, has served deaf students for decades. Previously, only one sign language interpreter supported all students across four grade levels. With Abilis funding, we hired additional interpreters. Currently, two interpreters support 12 deaf students at Themi. The results have been impressive: at the end of 2024, all deaf students taking the fourth-year final exams passed and became eligible for further studies—a historic milestone. Dropout rates have decreased significantly since interpreters joined the school. Former Meru Primary School students, after completing their studies at Themi, returned voluntarily to assist younger deaf students at Meru Primary. We supported these volunteers by covering their travel and meal expenses, showcasing the tremendous strength within the deaf community.
Additionally, we’re equipping Themi with a solar-powered IT classroom that will benefit deaf students and nearly 1,000 other students at the school.
Our collaboration with Arusha Technical College continues positively. We’ve employed a sign language interpreter there, and our recent meeting with the institution’s principal, legal advisor, and secretary was highly cooperative, solution-oriented, and friendly, providing a solid foundation for the project’s continued success.
The nearly three-month stay has been demanding, and like Aino and Eva, I’m ready to return home. We’ve seen firsthand the exceptional competence and organizational culture of the FSE Tanzania staff, particularly Nossim A Mevoroo and Mary Peter. Their cooperation with the organization’s board and its chairman, Prof. Raymond Mosha, is smooth and reassuring, making us confident in handing the project’s continuation into their capable hands.
Goodbye, Tanzania. I will genuinely miss many people here—especially our incredible team, whose trustworthiness has been inspiring.
Kwaheri Tanzania. Hakika nitakosa watu wengi – watu wa timu yetu ambao wamethibitisha kuwa wanastahili kuaminiwa. Nitamkosa sana Eliah mdogo, ambaye nimeweza kufurahia ushirika wake mara nyingi wakati wa likizo za kazi.
Antti Komulainen
