The Slate foundation

ShareChange:

Life in Northern Tanzania

ShareChange is a program that connects American students with penpals from schools in Tanzania (and eventually schools throughout East and Central Africa). However, in addition to the traditional penpal system, students will also be able to exchange experiences, questions, and stories through live video chat and short personalized documentaries.

The program will also provide a curriculum for the American classrooms. The curriculum will include challenging lessons on poverty, conflict, development, and healthcare, but also enlightening and fun lessons about African and Tanzanian art, music, dance, and literature. These lessons provide context, knowledge, and cultural awareness that helps facilitate valuable interactions among the students.

The ShareChange program will allow American students to literally share in the change that transpires in the lives of their East African counterparts. The American students will be able to witness the on-going projects from The Slate Foundation. In our water well project, students will be able to witness the well’s construction and hear accounts from their penpals about its impact on their lives.

We also want the American students to witness the impact they can have on the lives of others. We want to challenge the students to come up with a class project that helps the lives of the Tanzanian students. For example, if the project were a book drive, the American students will be able to watch as the Tanzanian students open the books for the first time. In a world where international aid often consists of donations to large organizations, where it is nearly impossible to determine whom or what benefited, it is important for American children to see the impact of their efforts unfold in real time.

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Give the Gift that keeps on Giving!