In early 2025, Kentalis International Foundation launched a new collaboration with OSNET to improve the quality of education for deaf and hard-of-hearing learners in Tanzania. This effort focuses not only on learners in special schools, but also on the growing number of deaf students in mainstream classrooms.
Project: Multiplying Learning Opportunities for Tanzanian Teachers
Phase 1
The first phase of the project, Multiplying Learning Opportunities for Tanzanian Teachers, supports teachers through targeted training based in the Reading Method for Early Literacy (RMEL), an interactive approach that fosters early reading skills in young deaf learners.
Addressing a Growing Need
Since 2009, the number of children with hearing loss attending school in Tanzania has increased by 30%. Many are placed in mainstream schools, where teachers often lack the training to meet their specific needs. Even specialized educators may not be familiar with the latest teaching strategies for deaf learners. The first phase of this project helps bridge that gap, giving educators the tools to make learning accessible and inclusive.
A Blended Learning Approach
To kick off the project, 12 professionals from various regions in Tanzania were selected for an intensive train-the-trainer program, delivered through a combination of e-learning and in-person workshops.
Over a three-month period, Kentalis International Foundation's project leader Eva Geneste and experts Ank Willems and Wilma Wessels traveled twice to Tanzania. In the first phase, held in Morogoro, 12 selected teachers were trained to become future trainers. A month later, in Moshi, these newly trained educators co-led sessions for additional teachers under supervision.
Wilma Wessels reflected on the experience: "Our training methods, which are interactive and playful, were at first unfamiliar to the participants. But as the week progressed, enthusiasm grew."
The initiative also made a significant impact through inclusivity. Both groups included deaf educators who participated using sign language and with the help of interpreters, emphasizing the importance of representation in training sessions.
Building Long-Term Impact
Kentalis International Foundation and OSNET are working together to expand the reach of e-learning in Tanzania. As part of this project, a dedicated section of the Kentalis International Foundation's e-learning platform has been configured for OSNET, allowing the organization to manage access for its members independently.
OSNET is an organization with several hundred members active in inclusive education. By providing OSNET with its own section on our e-learning platform, they can grant access to their members and manage this indepedently. This way, we aim to scale our e-learning platform and increase our impact.
This scalable model not only empowers OSNET’s hundreds of members across Tanzania but also lays the foundation for future regional initiatives.
Curious about the topics covered in the e-learning platform of Kentalis International Foundation? Learn more about our courses here.
Phase 2
In the second phase of our project 'Multiplying Learning Opportunities for Tanzanian Teachers', Kentalis International Foundation and OSNET continue to strenghten professional development for teachers in Tanzania, enabling them to better support deaf and hard-of-hearing learners.
A key focus of this phase is the preparation and translation of a Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) training program. To ensure successful implementation, all VIG materials will be translated into Swahili and adapted to the Tanzanian context. This phase also includes the development of an enhanced Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) system, allowing us to more accurately track progress and assess the impact of our activities in Tanzania. In addition, Kentalis International Foundation and OSNET will jointly design a concrete and actionable plan for phase 3, during which the VIG training will be implemented.
Meanwhile, the pilot of OSNET’s dedicated space on our e-learning platform will continue. This ensures that Tanzanian teachers, selected by OSNET, can keep benefiting from our online learning materials throughout the project.
Project Facts:
- Timing: February 2025 – July 2025 (phase 1) and November 2025 – March 2026 (phase 2)
- Location: Online (Netherlands), Morogoro and Moshi, Tanzania
- Funded by: Stichting Wees Een Kans, Stichting Vrienden van Effatha (phase 1); Segal Family Foundation through OSNET (phase 2)
- Partner: Organization of Special Needs Education Teachers (OSNET), Tanzania
