IB/Aga Khan Project in Zanzibar

Each afternoon we walked from our hotel to the AKDN office located in a restored historic building, the Old Dispensary, opposite the port. The journey took us by key landmarks in the restoration of Stone Town such as Forodhani Park, the fort and water front. The sights and sounds of the port and nearby public open spaces such as Banyan Tree Square provided an authentic and exciting backdrop for our collaboration.

PYP team considers a central idea for a planner

MYP team reflects on a unit question

At one time Zanzibar supplied 90% of the world’s cloves and is home to many spice plantations.  Spices  are vital to the economy and culture of Zanzibar.  We had the opportunity to visit a farm to learn more about the farming, harvesting and distribution of spices.  Our knowledgeable guides introduced us to the raw forms of cloves, cinnamon, ginger, lemon grass, cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla and other spices which offered a unique and sensory experience.  Consequently, our curriculum conversations were spiced with ideas from our visit… 

Spice girls: Kirsten, Monique, Mshai, Christine and Suzanne

Our second school visit took us to the Mtopepo community.  This school was started in 1995 and currently serves 1200 local secondary students. The school is a community initiative and receives little government support.  The challenges the school community faces are immense including shortage of teachers, facilities, classroom materials, lack of a library and any labs, funding and water. We visited classrooms where there were 135 students to one or sometimes two teachers.  We met with the school management committee who articulated their needs to us in Swahili and English.  The challenges are great but the vision to empower a community to establish, manage and own sustainable schools is a beacon of hope.

Mtopepo community school

Monique, Robert and Nadine speak with students

Classroom setting

Our team visted two schools during the week’s field experience with both providing insights to community empowerment and sustainability.  The first was a madrasa in an isolated, rural area on the island.  This community owned pre-school works with approximately 65 students from the local area.  The teachers from the community are trained at the Madrasa resource centre in Stone Town and their lessons make use of local materials for manipulatives such as sea shells and coconuts.  The word ‘madrasa’ is Arabic and is related to the verb darasa which means to study.  It was evident during our visit that both students and teachers were having fun as they studied playfully.  The Aga Khan Foundation supports the Madrasa early childhood programme and the resource centre.

Madrasa school building

Madrasa classroom

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In the morning we experienced the living history of Stone Town with local artist and resident John de Silva.  During the afternoon session, our PYP and MYP participants shared their units of work.  Our morning immersion into the cultural context of Zanzibar with its influences from the Swahili, Omani, Arab, Indian, German, British, and Portugese cultures provided a rich background for developing and refining the units.

Martime collaboration...

By Sunday, all the participants arrived and we had our first evening session.  We reviewed the scope of the project, expectations for our curriculum work and the cultural activity program arranged by the AKDN.  Before getting down to business, the early arrivals had a chance to visit Mangapwany Beach for their first bonding session and swim in the Indian Ocean.  Ruth and Mary from the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa take a moment to reflect!