Students in the Global Literacy course have been studying Swahili, reading East African folk stories and fables, and making puppets that they will use with children in their service learning visit to Tanzania from April 30 to May 10.

The students, seven Education majors and a graduate student in the International Peace and Conflict Resolution master’s program, will work with young children at Miracle Corners Community Center and with middle school girls at the Upendo School, which is sponsored by AfricAid Inc.

“We also will be meeting with the staff of the Foundation for Tomorrow which runs six orphanages in Arusha,” says Dr. Bette Goldstone, Professor of Education. “The students have created teaching materials and puppets which they will use with the children and will then donate to the Miracle Corners Community Center, along with musical instruments. We are bringing a laptop computer to the Upendo School.”

ID 381/481 International Experience: Global Literacy is seminar that includes initial coursework on the Glenside campus and a service component in Tanzania. To prepare for their service learning, the students have discussed concepts laid out in Half the Sky by N. Kristoff, investigated how cartography reflects cultural bias, read selections from East African university texts used in Tanzanian teacher training programs, read East African folk stories and fables, and looked at the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Students have discussed English as Second Language teaching techniques that they hope to put to use in Tanzania.

The students traveling to Tanzania are Amy Dunn, Christa Greagori, Margo Percevault, Jacqueline Beck, Kim Lane, Meredith Reifsnyder, Christine Moser and Caylynn Zeitz.

In partnership with the East African Community, Arcadia University runs the Nyerere Centre for Peace Research in Arusha, Tanzania, and offers service learning, research opportunities and study abroad in Tanzania.