Project "InkluTans"

Name of the project State Chancellery of Lower Saxony: School inclusion for people with albinism in Tanzania
Acronym: InkluTans

Project management and application: Prof. Dr. Margit Stein
Project management and project staff: Dr. Felista Tangi
Duration: April 2025 - December 2025

Funding: State Chancellery of Lower Saxony/Ndds. State Office for Social Affairs, Youth and Family
Funding amount: 10,000.00 euros

http://www.against-violence-at-schools-in-tanzania.com/en/about-this-great-project-fighting-school-violence-in-tanzania/

Project description:

The aim of the project, which is being pursued with the colleagues at St. Therese Secondary School in Tanzania, is to combat discrimination against people with disabilities, particularly those with albinism. Girls with albinism are particularly exposed to intersectional disadvantages. Children with disabilities and girls in Tanzania have a much lower school attendance rate and are often victims of violence such as mutilation and rape, exclusion and persecution. The aim is to protect and comprehensively include people with disabilities and albinism in education, i.e. to increase participation in education and provide individualized compensation for disadvantages and support, as well as education and encounter measures to break down prejudices and stereotypes against people with disabilities and albinism.

The proposed project will contribute to greater inclusion and the reduction of prejudice by supporting the non-violent and inclusive St. Therese Secondary School in a rural and underdeveloped region of Tanzania with these inclusion and prejudice reduction measures.

Firstly, the proposed project aims to expand protection for pupils - especially female pupils - with albinism in order to prevent future assaults. Secondly, the aim is to determine how the comprehensive inclusion and support of pupils with disabilities and albinism can be better ensured in the future. Thirdly, educational and encounter measures are to be implemented in order to reduce prejudices and stereotypes against people with disabilities and albinism, which are still widespread in Tanzania, including among parents and teachers.

The following measures are planned for this:

1. Protection of pupils affected by albinism:
In order to protect against assaults, structural measures are also imperative, such as the erection of a protective fence. Unfortunately, the previous approach of the school grounds being open to the social space to reduce prejudice has not been successful in preventing assaults.

2. inclusion and support of students with disabilities and albinism:
A comprehensive survey of all teachers, the school social worker and the school founder and a selected sample of students is planned in order to comprehensively work out the conditions for successful inclusion; the results will be made available in the form of a digital, freely accessible publication in English in order to promote inclusive concepts worldwide - especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

3. reducing prejudice through encounters and educational measures:
Three workshops are planned here by Dr. Sr. Felista Tangi, who also works as a lecturer at St. Augustine University, with teachers, students and parents to raise awareness about albinism and the persecution of those affected as well as countermeasures.