Aang Serian

One of Aang Serian's major projects is Noonkodin Secondary School, a rural school based in the Maasai-dominated community of Eluwai, Monduli Juu and serving over 180 young people from various ethnic backgrounds. According to organisers, the school is pioneering a new approach to education: not training youth for desk jobs in town, but helping them find new ways to make village life more sustainable and fulfilling. Noonkodin is developing a unique co-curricular programme to help students understand and relate to their own cultural heritage and that of other people, while also meeting national education goals. Noonkodin School is legally owned by Aang Serian, and managed by a School Board of 11 members representing Aang Serian itself, the parents, the local community, the staff and the Tanzanian Ministry of Education.

Alongside the Tanzanian national curriculum, Noonkodin's co-curricular programme combines 'traditional' and 'modern' education, incorporating topics such as Indigenous Knowledge, Peoples and Cultures, Environment and Society, Sustainable Agriculture, Ethics & Development, Appropriate Technology, Integrated Health Care, and Rural Economics. Young people interview elders in the local communities and discuss their findings in multi-cultural seminars. The school also has a specially designed Access Course aimed at bridging the gap between Swahili-medium primary school and English-medium secondary school.

Aang Serian also received a grant from the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UN-PFII) for a pilot project, lasting from October 2006 to July 2007, which explores the application of their Intercultural Education/Indigenous Knowledge curricula in an informal education setting in rural communities. Groups of 6 young people aged 14-18, representing 3 separate ethnic groups in northern and central Tanzania (Maasai, Chagga, and Rangi), are being trained to interview elders about indigenous knowledge and traditional skills while using digital video and audio to record and reflect on their experiences. The aim of the project is to produce 3 documentary films, one for each group, with soundtracks of traditional music. The films will be screened in the villages, in Arusha town, and internationally.

In addition, Aang Serian is involved in a grassroots health education project in 6 villages in Monduli District, focusing on HIV/AIDS and female genital mutilation (FGM). The project is being conducted in partnership with the community-based organisation Olomayani Women's Group and funded by Equality Now and the Hilden Charitable Trust. A number of Maasai women and elders have been trained as peer educators, and are supported by drama groups and village choirs that help to spread the messages through role-play, song, and dance. Alongside these village-level meetings, Aang Serian is seeking to retrain former circumcisers as craft workers, making traditional bead jewellery, which is sold to provide them with an alternative livelihood. The organisation is leading a programme of workshops and seminars intended to involve community elders in designing an 'alternative rite of passage' for girls to become women without the cut, and is aiming to provide safe houses and educational opportunities for girls who choose not to undergo FGM.

In 2001, Aang Serian was invited to collaborate with another local organisation in a research project funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Members have subsequently carried out further research on traditional health care systems and forest conservation in northern Tanzania, in association with the University of Kent at Canterbury and the Global Initiative for Traditional Systems of Health in Oxford. The co-directors have presented the organisation's work in a number of national and international arenas. With regard to these efforts, Aang Serian promotes local participation in traditional medicine research, and is committed to returning findings to communities and upholding international conventions on the rights of indigenous peoples.

Other projects include a fair trade shop in Arusha that sells local handicrafts; a recording studio that aims to help young urban hip-hop artists to record and promote their music (with a focus on positive, uplifting messages); an international volunteer programme; and an International Summer School Programme. Established in 2004, the programme offers national and international students and mid-career professionals an opportunity to learn first hand about rural and urban life in Tanzania. Through a blend of academic and practical activities, participants can explore the issues in depth and see the impact of 'development', tourism, ethnicity, HIV/AIDS, and climate change on the real lives of real people. The summer school courses include anthropology and development, exploring the cultures and traditions of the Chagga and Maasai people, working at Aang Serian and local orphanages, learning African drumming and Swahili hip-hop, and taking part in a 3-day safari.

Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Youth, Environment, Health.

Aang Serian was formed in collaboration with a recent Oxford graduate from England.