Lavanya's Enriching Volunteer Journey with STEM Adventures at SEGA

In June, I had the privilege of returning to Morogoro, Tanzania, to volunteer for the second time with the STEM Adventures at SEGA team. Like last year, my week with the girls was incredibly enriching, filled with laughter and learning.

This year, the STEM program shifted from traditional lessons to a project-based learning (PBL) approach. The students collaborated on a significant group project centered around the driving question: “How can students collaborate to identify how technology can be utilized to address agricultural challenges exacerbated by weather and climate change?” Essentially, each group had to design a mobile application to assist farmers and agricultural workers in various regions of Tanzania. Each of the five groups focused on finding solutions tailored to specific regions of Tanzania: Arusha, Tanga, Dodoma, Iringa, and Morogoro.

We began the week with an introduction to weather and climate, providing essential background on the challenges the girls aimed to address. We later moved into a lesson on prototyping an app, demonstrating how various apps function—like the Apple Weather app—and how different buttons provide additional information. This laid the foundation for brainstorming potential solutions to our central question. 

My group concentrated on the Dodoma region, where many girls were from. They described the climate as very dry, with minimal rainfall. Some of the innovative ideas they proposed included planting drought-resistant crops and strategically timing and placing crops in Dodoma. We analyzed graphs on rainfall and weather patterns, deepening our understanding through research. Eventually, the girls discovered that grapes thrive in arid climates and require little water. Thus, the concept of the ‘Zabibu Vineyard’ was born. We explained that the areas where grapes are grown are called ‘vineyards,’ the girls named theirs ‘Zabibu,’ which means grape in Swahili. The girls designed an app that had many different functions: turning on and off irrigation systems, the current weather in Dodoma, and a drone controller for sampling water purity, just to name a few. 

During our brainstorming process, the girls shared with us that in Dodoma, trees are planted to generate rainfall. This phenomenon astonished us volunteers, highlighting how much we, too, learned from the students. When we returned to the lodge, we eagerly researched this practice, demonstrating the mutual knowledge exchange!

A key focus this year was enhancing public speaking and confidence. We engaged the girls in games designed to boost their abilities to speak articulately and confidently in front of others. Additionally, we emphasized research skills, encouraging them to brainstorm solutions and identify areas for further exploration. Their enthusiasm for note-taking and research was truly inspiring.

Having seen the 2023 and 2024 STEM curricula in action, it’s clear the girls thrived in this immersive learning environment. I speak for all the volunteers when I say how impressed we were with the girls’ ability to grasp complex global issues and propose viable solutions. Focusing on one topic enabled them to delve deeper into challenging concepts, fostering a stronger understanding of app design, technology, and climate change. 

As a volunteer, I really enjoyed watching the last day of presentation preparation and app design, especially because the girls could culminate all their learning and articulate it onto different app pages, utilizing their creativity and beautiful artistry. 

My favorite memory from last year was attending church with the girls. This year, however, we missed the usual church service due to the absence of Form II, III, and IV students. Another volunteer and I saw the girls watching a movie in the Big Banda. Afterward, they moved the benches aside and began singing and dancing to the same church songs we enjoyed last year. 

If you are considering visiting SEGA, I assure you it will be an unforgettable experience. The students' spirit and the community's vibrancy have created the most incredible environment to support and foster these incredible young women. I can’t wait to see what these girls do to change the world. Thank you, SEGA, for another wonderful week full of memories!