In 2022, Mnarani Secondary School participated in the Ciena Solutions Challenge, a global design challenge inviting students to design solutions for sustainability challenges in their local communities. What began as an idea to provide educational content during pandemic-related school closures soon evolved into fostering students’ agency and creativity with the aid of new technology.
Students prepare to record an IQ Interschool Challenge episode for Star TV as part of the program’s expansion to additional public secondary schools in the Lake Zone region of Tanzania.
With support from the Ciena Solutions Challenge program, Mnarani Public Secondary School received resources to take the project further. In 2022, 2023, and 2024 they were awarded a Sustainability Award, which allowed them to scale up their efforts in Mwanza’s Lake Zone region.
Then, in January 2025, Mnarani Secondary School was named a Ciena Solutions Challenge Model School—a recognition of the way they’ve embraced student voice and real-world learning and an opportunity to receive professional development and mentoring, as well as tools for digital fabrication, coding, robotics, and media production to support student creativity, innovation, and invention.
As part of a daily practice leading up to a school-wide assembly, students work together to clean the school grounds.
Soon after, the team launched Shika Kwa Mikono, a project designed to help students develop technical skills, express their creativity, and gain confidence through hands-on learning that leverages digital tools and technologies in creative ways.
“I created my first podcast on environmental conservation,” shared Wisdom, a student at Mnarani. “It was a great moment for me because I had never done that before.” For Wisdom and his classmates, who had experience with mobile devices, but limited exposure to computers, learning how to create digital content and tell their own stories has opened new possibilities—whether their dreams involve becoming doctors, designers, or business owners in their communities.
“At the beginning, I wasn’t so confident,” Wisdom reflected. “But now, I can use a computer. I can create a podcast. I can speak up.” For another student, Neema, the project has sparked her dream of becoming a designer.
Student podcasters test their equipment during a sound check prior to recording.
Photo Credit: Imani Nsamila, FiftyNine Visuals.
“The first time I did a podcast, it was a great moment for me,” Wisdom explained, recalling how nervous he felt before his first recording. Now, he says, creating digital content feels natural, and with every project, his confidence grows.
Neema discovered her passion for design. Watching others create inspired her to imagine her own future. “These skills will help me, and I will teach my young sisters and brothers, too,” she said.
Students work together to plan their project activities. Photo Credit: Imani Nsamila, FiftyNine Visuals.
For Nancy, learning to create digital stories has helped her take control of her time and her learning. She hopes more students will join the project and experience the same growth. “This project helps a person to achieve his or her goals,” Nancy said.
Hands-on learning reshapes the role of teachers too. “This is a very, very good project for the learners and for themselves,” said chemistry teacher Sala Samweli. “It reduces the burden of the teacher being the center of all the learning.”
Mahamba Sebastian hopes other educators will take notice and collaborate across schools. “We can share things that are similar and solve the problems that exist in our schools and society,” he said.
Group photo with Mnarani Public Secondary School faculty and Digital Promise staff members.
