Mercer On Mission
Mercer On Mission
Education

Tanzania

TRAVEL DATES:
Summer 2025
GENERAL INFO:
The Mercer On Mission team in Tanzania will work with elementary, secondary and college students in partnership with Village Schools International. Students and faculty will work with Tanzanians to improve teaching strategies to positively impact rural schools throughout Tanzania.

Meeting a Need

Many young people in Tanzania do not have access to a quality education. The education system limits their opportunity to learn English in the elementary levels. This is especially true in rural areas. Mercer’s work helps to address this need. The program will work with a teacher’s college to help train elementary and secondary teachers. This project will also provide the opportunity to work directly in elementary and secondary schools to improve the overall quality of education.

What You'll Do

In partnership with Village Schools International located in Tanzania, Mercer students will work collaboratively with college students from VSI schools to enhance teaching strategies and develop culturally appropriate teaching tools and activities. Students and faculty will work with future teachers at Teachers College in Tanzania to help prepare them to work in rural and under-resourced schools. By respecting and integrating local traditions, values and educational needs, the partnership will aim at sharing expertise, planning and disseminating materials, and, consequently, empowering both Mercer students and VSI college students.

This Mercer On Mission program will foster collaboration between Mercer and Tanzanian students, encouraging them to share ideas and strategies that can be applied in their respective classrooms. Mercerians will also teach, work and learn with elementary and secondary students in local communities. Mercer students and VSI college students will seek to provide sustainable solutions that enhance the quality of education, fostering a future where all children, regardless of their background, have access to relevant and meaningful learning experiences and materials.

Dr. Matthew Sroka

Having worked in schools in Tanzania on three separate occasions, I can say each experience has profoundly transformed me. This program offers you the opportunity not only to make a lasting impact on the schools in Tanzania but also to be personally impacted by the community around you.

Dr. Matthew Sroka
Assistant Professor of Literacy

Academic Courses

Students are required to sign up for six hours of credit. The registrar will enroll you in courses for your program, including one class from each of the program's faculty.

  • EDUC 403: Connecting Homes, School, Community
  • INT 301: Engaging the World

or

  • EDUC 403: Connecting Homes, School, Community
  • EDUC 390: Special Topics Engaging the World through Sociocultural Perspectives

Faculty

  • Dr. Lucy Gitonga – Assistant Professor of Special Education, Tift College of Education
  • Dr. Matthew Sroka – Assistant Professor of Literacy, Tift College of Education

Latest MOM News

Interested?

Students interested in participating in a Mercer on Mission program will need to complete an online application before being considered for admission.
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