In Summary
They include Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda as well as 13 French-speaking African countries.
Dar es Salaam. Sixteen African countries are enjoying information and communication technology on facilitating kindergarten children in early school knowledge of data designed in Tanzania.
They include Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda as well as 13 French-speaking African countries.
A communications specialist with the Tanzania Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF), Ms Hana Shine, said Bongo Kids Tanzania put the country on the African map for spreading ICT to enable children to acquire basic data knowledge.
She said the number of technology users was increasing in French-speaking African countries.
“The technology for enabling children to learn data in early childhood has proved successful in imparting basic data knowledge. In Tanzania alone there are over two million users.”
According to her, through the use of cartoons the child can easily grasp the data and be able to count before going to school school. The cartoons have attracted millions of viewers in various Francophone and East African countries.
The director general of the Commission for Science and Technology in Tanzania, Dr Hassan Mshinda, said during the launch of the fourth round of HDIF recently here: “We have witnessed several successful devices for solving health, social and economic problems.”
HDIF human investment team leader Gertrude Kihunrwa said Early Childhood Development and sanitation were critical areas in Tanzania’s development agenda.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer further development support. We will encourage more Tanzanians to be creative to spread innovations.”
HDIF is accepting funding applications of £500,000 and 1,000,000 for pilot and scale-up projects. Exceptions can be made for compelling applications for a grant not lower than £200,000, according to a statement.
“In this round, HDIF seeks to fund organisations to implement innovative projects in any of the results areas in WASH [water, sanitation and hygiene] and Early Childhood Development,” reads part of the statement.
According to the statement, the HDIF which started with a pledge of £40 million from the UK government is being financed by the Department of International Development.
This call is open from June 19, 2017 and will close on September 8, 2017. “Implicit in innovation is learning and adaptation. Along with the DFID and Palladium, a positive impact global organisation, HDIF is launching a third round of funding that exemplifies our learning over the past three years,” said HDIF team leader David McGinty.
According to him, achievements so far include 36 investments in projects in Tanzania which focus on innovation in education, health and WASH.