TANZANIA'S PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR FY 2006 ESF:

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000738 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT AF/RSA FOR L THOMPSON, M HARPOLE, AF/E FOR BYODER AND C PELT ALSO G/TIP FOR R YOUSEY PASS TO USAID AF/W OFFICE NAIROBI FOR REDSO OFFICE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AFIN AMGT EAID ECON PGOV PHUM TZ SUBJECT: TANZANIA'S PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR FY 2006 ESF: RADIO PROGRAMMING TO AUGMENT SCHOOL RETENTION RATES REF: STATE 059002 SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. Project Summary: Utilizing wind-up radios, develop creative programming to enrich school curricula in order to attract children to stay in school. Such programs would potentially increase the school retention rate of girls, reduce the number of children recruited for child labor or trafficked (one of our key MPP goals) and, in the long term, lead to better economic opportunities for poorer young women and men. End summary. Background -------------- ¶2. The Department of Labor (DOL) funded a two-year radio program project (FY 04-05)--known as "Mama Elimu"--as part of the Time Bound initiative that used wind-up radios to reach a wide population with Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) in areas of Tanzania where electricity is not available. Over 1,500 radios were distributed to primary and middle schools along with teacher handbooks describing the program curricula. The DOL program used an integrated approach through songs, games and stories within the Tanzanian context to address cross cutting issues -- HIV/AIDs, gender, environment, etc. The programs were broadcast five times weekly throughout the school year; the content was relevant, well-presented, and the programs were extremely popular. Initial evaluations indicated the programs positively impacted student attendance, self-esteem, awareness of rights and a desire for quality education. ¶3. The DOL funding for the program ended in 2005 and program management was turned over to the Ministry of Education; however, the Ministry does not have a budget to develop new content, so will essentially be recycling already developed radio material. Embassy Proposal -------------- ¶4. Following this model, the Embassy proposes a project to distribute wind-up radios to schools and community centers in a central region of Tanzania, to develop content for radio programming, and to broadcast the programs daily. The programming would include an HIV-AIDs awareness component, anti-trafficking and child labor recruitment, and environmental messages within a Tanzanian context. Duration of the project would be two years; however, once created, the radio programs could be re-broadcast for years to come. ¶5. The Embassy has consulted with Tanzania,s USAID mission which plans to fund a similar radio program with different content, targeting young girls and women on the isles of Zanzibar. If funded, the Embassy project would be managed by USAID, but directed toward an at-risk population in the Morogoro (central) region which is a transportation corridor crossroads where recruitment for child labor is frequent and the HIV infection rate high. MPP, USG Interests, Indicators -------------- ¶6. This project would directly advance three Embassy MPP goals: 1) Global Health, 2) Economic Growth and Development, and 3) Democratic Systems and Practices. The project is in the U.S. national interests by contributing to a decrease in the HIV/AIDS infection rate and strengthening the economy of Tanzania, thus solidifying regional stability and widening a potential market for U.S. goods and services. Success of the project could be measured by student retention rates, HIV infection rates and/or average age that a young woman has her first child in the region benefiting from the project. Notional Budget -------------- ¶7. The project budget would include purchase of wind-up radios, transportation costs to distribute the radios, program content development costs, printing of teacher handbooks, and radio broadcasting fees. Breakdown: -- Purchase and distribute up to 2,000 wind-up radios ("Freeplay" radios) (USD 60.00 each) -- Radio program development costs -- Preparation/printing of teacher handbooks -- Broadcasting fees -- Administrative costs Total funding request is USD 250,000 to carry out this project for 24 months. ¶8. The Embassy points of contact (POC) for follow-up on the above proposal are Mary Johnson (johnsonmb@state.gov) or Maureen Latour (latourmb@state.gov),Political Section. RETZER