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Mama Salma Kikwete, Minister for Community Dev. Gender & Children, Margareth Sitta, and USAID Tanzania Mission Director Pamela White met with Cookie Monster from world-renowned children’s educational programme Sesame Street during a 2006 visit to New Yo
Multi-Media Sesame Street Initiative to Reach 5 Million Children in Tanzania
New Television and Radio series, Kilimani Sesame, debuts on Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) and Television Zanzibar (TVZ).
April 21, 2008
Through a new initiative that spans television, radio and community outreach, 5 million children in Tanzania are meeting Kami, Moshe, Zikwe, Lulu and Neno, the furry and friendly Muppets of Kilimani Sesame. Nonprofit educational organization Sesame Workshop signed an agreement with the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) and Television Zanzibar (TVZ) to begin airing 13 television and 13 radio episodes of the pilot preschool series in Kiswahili this month. Kilimani Sesame is a groundbreaking initiative addressing the education and health needs of Tanzanian children ages 3-7 and made possible through generous support from the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy, Tanzanian educational experts identified a broad range of early childhood domains including literacy, mathematics and life skills as the educational framework for Kilimani Sesame. Within this framework, malaria was identified as a significant educational objective for the project, as the disease is a major public health concern in Tanzania, especially among young children. Kilimani Sesame will present families with basic information about the disease and ways it can be prevented, recognized and treated. For example, in original live action film “The Mosquito Net,” viewers will meet Upendo, a young girl who has a mosquito net with holes in it. She explains the differences between a treated and an untreated net, and then travels with her older sister to purchase a new treated net to be safe from mosquitoes and prevent Malaria. In addition, TV and radio episodes will highlight cognitive and social-emotional lessons and other messages related to health such as nutrition, basic hygiene and HIV/AIDS awareness.
“Our research shows that preschool-age children in Tanzania have limited access to educational materials such as books and toys, and that there is very little television programming or educational media suited for this audience” said Dr. Seeta Pai, Sesame Workshop’s Director of International Research. “Both governmental and non-governmental sectors in Tanzania are committed to promoting early childhood education, and we are excited to collaborate with a local team of experts and creative minds to launch an initiative that will make a positive difference in the lives of children in this country.”
Kilimani Sesame consists of 13 television episodes featuring adapted material from Takalani Sesame, South Africa’s very own Sesame Street program, dubbed in Kiswahili with 6 original and locally-produced live action films featuring the daily lives of children in Tanzania as well as 13 original radio episodes. Sesame Workshop partnered with Tanzania-based producer Aeigies International to produce the radio episodes and dub the Takalani Sesame content. In addition, Sesame Workshop worked with local Tanzanian production company Maweni Farms to produce most of the local live action films. As with all Sesame Street co-productions, Sesame Workshop collaborated with a team of Tanzanian children’s education and health experts from government, non-government agencies, and community-service fields to determine the key educational needs of Tanzanian children.
Nonprofit educational organization Sesame Workshop has a proud history of serving the needs of children and their families since its flagship program Sesame Street premiered in the U.S. in 1969. The international adaptation of Sesame Street began in the 1970s, with Iftah Ya Simsim, an Arabic co-production which premiered in Kuwait, and Plaza Sésamo, a co-production for Spanish-speaking children in the Americas. Today, localized versions of Sesame Street are produced and seen in several other countries, including South Africa, Bangladesh, and India.
This program comes from the American people and is part of overall U.S. Government direct and multilateral assistance to Tanzania of more than half a billion U.S. Dollars (over 750 billion Tanzanian shillings) in fiscal year 2008. For further information on this and other activities, please visit us at http://tanzania.usembassy.gov.