Over four months, nine math and science conferences were held in Tanzania's Southern Highlands region to improve education in those subjects for primary and secondary students. Tanzanian teachers planned and assisted with the conferences, which included competitive hands-on activities using locally available materials. Students designed buildings, bridges, vehicles and presented science fair projects. Several students then led their own conferences for younger students to share what they had learned. The conferences engaged over 2,400 students and 80 teachers from 11 schools.

1. Tanzanian teachers pro-
vided assistance by planning
and organizing the conference
events, leading activity ses-
sions and even participating in
many of the competitions them-
selves in order to help teach
the students. Eight of the nine
conferences were hosted lo-
cally in villages, as schools
contributed classrooms, dormi-
tories and food in order to fa-
cilitate the programs.
After participating in confer-
ences themselves, several stu-
dents requested an opportunity
to prepare and conduct similar
conferences of their own for
younger students in order to
share what they had learned.
Two of the conferences were
thus run entirely by Form II
students, demonstrating their
ability to sustain the aims of
the project for years to come.
Over the course of four months,
nine math and science confer-
ences were conducted across
the Southern Highlands of Tan-
zania in an effort to improve
the state of education in those
subjects among primary and
secondary level students.
The conferences varied in
length from one to five days
and included a number of ac-
tivities and competitions relat-
ing scientific principles to every-
day challenges. Only locally
available science materials
(LASMs) were used, in order to
reduce costs and help bridge
the gap between classroom
learning and daily life experi-
ences.
Participants competed in
teams to design and construct
buildings, bridges, egg carriers,
water transport systems and
rafts using limited resources.
They gained communication
and leadership skills, learned
how to manage their time and
money effectively and created
and presented science fair
projects on topics of their
choice. Students learned about
scientific applications to mat-
ters of health including nutri-
tion, malaria and HIV/AIDS
awareness.
“You have shown us that experi-
ments cannot be done only in
the laboratory but can be done
everywhere. And you should not
need expensive apparatus.”
- Form II student, Ulembwe SS
Eighteen Form II students
from three schools partici-
pated in the Njombe Science
Conference in May
Math and Science Conferences in Tanzania
W H A T ’ S
I N S I D E :
Meet the
Participants
2
Competitive
Edge
3
Who Are We? 4
Letters from
the Students
4
Take It From Them
W I L I M A
S E C O N D A R Y
S C H O O L ,
R U V U M A R E G I O N
Shika na Mikono Success Story
S E P T E M B E R 9 , 2 0 1 4“ G R A S P I N G S C I E N C E W I T H Y O U R H A N D S ”
B Y T H E
N U M B E R S :
 Four months
 Nine conferences
 11 schools
 Over 2,400
students reached
 Over 80 teachers
trained
“Many of the things which we have
done here, in the school we are not
doing. So through this seminar I can
be the ambassador, I can go and
teach other students who didn't
participate. I can teach all the things
which you have taught us.”
- Form II student, Philip Mangula SS
“Even me I thought science is
difficult but for what I have seen
and done science is very easy.
And I promise I will educate, help
and convince other students in
studying science subjects.”
- Form II student, Ulembwe SS
“You can repeat and I can be the
first member to represent my
school in another level like divi-
sion, district, region, even in the
national level..”
- Form IV student, Wilima SS
“I have liked it because most of
the questions which we have
been asked or which we have
faced have made me to increase
my thinking capacity. In such a
way I have felt like I am a real
engineer.”
- Form IV student, Wilima SS
“If I don't study science subjects and
mathematics, I cannot become the
person who I want to become in the
future.”
- Form II student, Philip Mangula SS
For years, Tanzanian secondary schools have performed very poorly in math and science. After iden-
tifying the need for improved education of students and teachers in these subjects, community mem-
bers and teachers in collaboration with PCV Steve Bonomo submitted a grant proposal to the Peace
Corps Partnership Program and received a total of TShs 3,540,100, donated by Steve's family mem-
bers and friends from the USA. Teachers and students acknowledge this support and express their
gratitude to funders.
A PROJECT BY
PCV STEVE BONOMO

2. Meet the Participants
Njombe Science Conference
May 16-20, 2014
Level: Form II
Participating Schools:
Maria Nyerere Secondary School
Philip Mangula Secondary School
Ulembwe Secondary School
Tukuyu Science Conference
July 18-20, 2014
Level: Form IV
Participating Schools:
Kayuki Secondary School
Mwatisi Secondary School
Wilima Science Conference
August 9, 2014
Level: Form I
Participating Schools:
Wilima Secondary School
Mlevela Science Conference
August 1-3, 2014
Level: Standard V-VI
Participating Schools:
Idunda Primary School
Mlevela Primary School
Nyumbanitu Primary School
The conferences funded by the project reached in total over 2,400 students and over 80 teachers among 11 schools
in Tanzania’s Ruvuma, Njombe and Mbeya regions. Student participants ranged from Standard V to Form IV, and
many highly qualified and motivated Tanzanian teachers facilitated sessions in math, physics, chemistry and biology.
Mbinga Science Conference
June 6-8, 2014
Level: Form II
Participating Schools:
Hagati Secondary School
Mikalanga Secondary School

3. Competitive Edge
Students, just like nearly all other groups of people, love to compete. When the excitement of competition is com-
bined with the wonders of math and science, students excel and realize an academic potential that they never
thought possible. Individuals mixed in gender and background are teamed together to experience for themselves
some of the major design and construction challenges faced by modern scientists and engineers.
Egg Drop
Students must build a device to transport an egg through a given drop
distance without cracking.
Materials given include balloons, newspaper, plastic bottle, toilet paper
and other local materials.
Jenga Jengo (“Build a Building”)
Students must build the tallest structure possible, as quickly as possible,
while ensuring good stability.
Materials are limited to either paper, straws or matches.
Raft Rally
Students must build a raft using only aluminum foil and straws that can
support the heaviest load before sinking.
Nails are placed inside the raft until water begins to enter.
Bridge Challenge
Students must build a bridge that can support the most weight, while us-
ing a limited budget of Science Shillings to purchase all construction ma-
terials.
A bonus is awarded for money remaining after construction.
Aqueduct Assembly
Students must construct a water transport system to move as much wa-
ter as possible from the “river” to the “village” in two minutes.
Water is collected in a basin one metre from the intake location.

4. “Hello, I am William, I am studying in
Tanzania. I like very much to study
and I expect one day I will be an engi-
neer, I like it very much.
In our school we conducted a science
competition. The competition was
very good, I enjoyed it. For myself I
like to be an engineer. My suggestion
about science competition is that, it is
very nice because in other way it help
a student to understand more about
science.
My message to you today is that to be
successful you must practice. Success
comes to those who practice. I wish
you all the best.”
- William Danda, Form II student
Wilima Seconday School
“My name is Bakary Hamisi Mizinga.
I’m a boy and I am sixteen years old.
The main aim of this letter is to state
about my opinion about all science
competitions which occur in our
school. These competitions were
going very well and I like it because
we study many things. For example -
Jenga Jengo - this skill it help me to
know how make a building and an-
other is SUDOKU game - this skill it
help me to get more capacity of doing
mathematics and it help me to get
more thinking capacity.
And I like more more these competi-
tions because of the points above. So
I say thank you so much and God
bless all people who prepared those
competitions.”
- Bakari Mizinga, Form II student
Wilima Secondary School
“I want to thank you for your assis-
tance to help us to do the competi-
tion which lead us to know some
knowledge as to make buildings, tall
houses and so many which make us
to enjoy. And also we have get good
requirement like food and other
more issues. Also I thank to our
teacher who led us to go there and
learn many different things which I
was enjoying in Njombe city in Tanza-
nia. And we enjoyed because we have
made friends with other school stu-
dents which make us to know each
other.
I beg for you to ask for another com-
peititon which will increase our
knowledge in studying because sci-
ence is practical and easy to under-
stand.
- France Msalilwa, Form II student
Wilima Secondary School
Letters from the Students
Current Members:
Joe Antonacci
(mdfb30@gmail.com)
Cait Baumhart
(cbaumhart73@gmail.com)
Riley Burgon
(riley.burgon@gmail.com)
Megan Gooley
(ooley.gooley@gmail.com)
Rickie Likens
(rlikens@gmail.com)
Joel Nightingale
(joelnightingale6@gmail.com)
Nikki Yates
(nikki.yates.0909@gmail.com)
Past Members:
Belle Archaphorn
(belledundi@gmail.com)
Willie Blackmon
(willieblackmon@gmail.com)
Steve Bonomo
(sbonomo3@gmail.com)
Ryan Early
(ryan.early@gmail.com)
Ben Savonen
(blsavone@mtu.edu)Website: shikamikonotz.webs.com
E-mail: shika.mikono.tz@gmail.com
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Shika na Mikono is a committee of education Peace Corps volunteers dedi-
cated to promoting hands-on science and math education in Tanzania using
locally available materials. We are involved in training both new volunteers
and Tanzanian teachers on how to incorporate hands-on science activities in
the classroom. We are also editing and updating a series of publications dedi-
cated to making hands-on science education as straightforward as possible.
The most updated versions of those publications are available for download at
our website: shikamikonotz.webs.com.
Shika na Mikono
“Let them grasp it in their hands”