EQWIP HUBs: Adapting an International Curriculum for Tanzanian Youth

A big part of EQWIP HUBs’ programming is the comprehensive employment and entrepreneurship training being offered to youth. Something I appreciate the most is the effort that goes into adapting that training to the goals, needs, and challenges of youth here in Tanzania.

That’s why I was excited when I found out we would be hosting a curriculum adaptation workshop in December! Maybe that sounds like a really nerdy thing to get excited about, so let me explain.

No program is one size fits all. While EQWIP HUBs’ core training modules were created by a talented and experienced Education Development Center team in Washington, D.C., there’s no way a group of curriculum designers in the States can know exactly what is going to resonate with young people in Tanzania.

That’s where the curriculum adaptation workshop came into play. Held from December 8 to 18, 2015 in Dar es Salaam, the workshop brought together Tanzanian university students and recent graduates, officials from the Tanzanian government, and representatives from our key partner organization in Dar, the Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA).

Over the next 10 days, the three dozen workshop participants went through the curriculum page by page, patiently brainstorming and suggesting content changes. Whether it was making note of a proverb that should be removed or taking into consideration the cultural and gender norms in Tanzania, the adapted curriculum will definitely be more relevant and understandable when facilitation begins.

Part of the localization process also included creating photos and illustrations for the curriculum. This meant actually having photos of Tanzanian youth, for one thing. Over the course of the two weeks myself and two other volunteers had mini photo shoots with some of the young workshop participants. We went to the fruit market, took over a few local shops, and came away with a set of photos that (we hope!) illustrate the concepts taught in the curriculum.

Also neat was the work of Logan, one of my fellow volunteers. One morning he sat with a representative from the Ministry of Labor and sketched a set of illustrations. In one of his pieces he illustrated the concept of a “money tree” that workshop participants had discussed in a session. I hope our new curriculum art will help youth facilitators and participants feel as though the training really speaks to them and their needs.

It was also cool to see how the workshop was facilitated. The 10 days were led by Ann Hershkowitz and Yussuf Omondi from the Education Development Center. Ann and Yussuf are seasoned facilitators, from the U.S. and Kenya respectively. The most fascinating parts to watch were the icebreakers and energizers scattered throughout the workshop. As a result of those elements – and Ann and Yussuf’s leadership – the workshop was interactive, energetic, and often filled with singing, dancing, and clapping. I could hear laughter even on days when I was working in the next room over!

But my favourite part of the two weeks was how much I got to connect with the local youth who were involved. Throughout the workshop we had a WhatsApp group where we talked back and forth about the day’s events. At one point, one of the participants said “Now I start to recognize that I can sit with different people as a youth and give out my point or ideas and people can accept it.”

This is at the core of why I wanted to be involved with EQWIP HUBs. It’s a shift to a place where young people’s voices can be heard, and where they can succeed not only by having valuable business, technology, and financial skills, but the personal confidence to share their ideas and thoughts.

I’m looking forward to seeing the adapted employment curriculum soon!