Storytelling and Digital Technology for Inclusive Education

Tai leverages the power of storytelling and digital technology to achieve inclusive education.

In Tanzania, where only 5% reach tertiary education, we use digital technologies and creative educational content—animations, comics, and audio—to drive social behavior change, demystify cultural taboos, and address educational inequalities. By leveraging both traditional and digital channels, we reach millions. Through dialogues, Tai amplifies marginalized voices and empowers communities.

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HundrED 2025

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Overview

HundrED has selected this innovation to

HundrED Global Collection 2025

Web presence

2013

Established

51K

Children

2

Countries

Target group

Students lower

Updated

August 2024

Tai envisions a future where every child has equal access to quality education by employing engaging and educational content. We seek to bridge educational gaps and make learning more accessible and relatable. Through community dialogues and engagement, we hope to challenge societal norms that may hinder inclusion. The organization aspires to instigate positive behavior change among youth, empow

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Tai Tanzania, born from a passion for transformative education, addresses Tanzania's education gap where only 5% reach tertiary level. A group of dedicated volunteers founded Tai Tanzania in 2013. After three years of traditional programs, we innovated using storytelling and digital tech, boosting engagement from 60% to over 98%. Our journey signifies the power of an innovative approach.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Tai's innovation strives to ensure every child has equal access to education, irrespective of gender, background, physical appearance, or circumstances. Our innovation in practice involves a multi-faceted approach to education. Using animations, comics, and radio stories, Tai transforms educational content into engaging and relatable formats. The use of traditional and digital technology enables widespread access, especially in urban and rural communities.

The innovation extends beyond content creation. Tai actively engages with communities, facilitating dialogues that empower youth and challenge societal norms. By fostering community-led solutions, Tai aims to reshape the educational landscape for a brighter and more inclusive future.

Our success, evident in increased engagement, highlights the transformative power of combining storytelling and digital technology in making education accessible and impactful in Africa.

How has it been spreading?

Tai strategically spreads its innovation for maximum impact.
- Engaging with 73+ schools, we implement innovative educational content, that directly impacts students.
- Through community dialogues, Tai sparks discussions on youth empowerment, societal norms, and community-led solutions, transcending the classroom.
- Leveraging digital platforms, including animations, comics and radio stories, we make educational content accessible, especially to those with internet access.
- Recognizing traditional media's enduring influence, we employ radio for outreach, ensuring our impactful message reaches areas with limited digital access.
- With a forward-looking approach, we plan to develop a desktop application for remote engagement, aligning with the tech-driven society.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

You can access our educational content through our digital learning portal: https://www.tai.or.tz/edutainment/explore-all
Or through our Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t08E-Vd5lww&t=13s

Soon, all our content will be accessible through our desktop and mobile apps.

Impact & scalability

HundrED Academy Reviews

This innovation leverages storytelling and digital technology to address educational disparities, fosters community dialogues and empowers youth, thereby challenging societal norms and reshaping the educational landscape.

Its scalability is strong due to its use of both digital & traditional media, making it adaptable to various contexts. The innovation's engaging content & community-driven methodology can be easily replicated in different regions as well.

- Academy member

Academy review results

Impact

Scalability

Exceptional

High

Moderate

Limited

Insufficient

Exceptional

High

Moderate

Limited

Insufficient

Media

How failed education effort sparked new force in East African animation

Using animated storytelling for societal change

We embrace traditional and digital channels in engagement with our community i.e., This is an article from the leading English newspaper in Tanzania.

Implementation steps

Baseline Research

This step involves basic data gathering on a particular topic through a combination of desk research, literature review, and key informant interviews. The goal at this step is to determine the issue that will become the focus of subsequent steps in the process. Tai pays attention to making sure that both the scope and substance of the issue determined is a true reflection of the youth experience and the topic is one that young people and society both care about.

Composition

Once an issue has been defined in scope and substance, the next step is to develop a relatable storyline that young people will find engaging. Tai works with copywriters and other experts to develop a storyline and script, to define characters all of which are tested through a painstaking process of recitations and character rehearsals.

Content Production

Once the content has been fully developed, the content is now ready for production. For this, Tai works with a team of media and production experts to create animated movies and/or comics. These formats are chosen due to their ability to spark discussion and command the attention of young people- both of which are critical factors for successful engagement.

Content Dissemination & Engagement

Once production is complete, the last step aims to facilitate both dissemination and engagement. Various platforms are leveraged for this including social media, school debates, radio shows, and print media, among others. The key during this step is to reach as many young people as possible using preferred channels but most importantly to engage the target youth population and/or society in dialogue to drive learning.

MEAL - Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning.

Tai Tanzania gauges impact through comprehensive assessments, tracking engagement metrics for educational content, assessing behavioural changes in youth, evaluating school participation, measuring the impact of community dialogues on societal norms, and tracking long-term educational outcomes. This ensures a thorough understanding of the effectiveness and lasting impact of our innovative education initiatives.