Women Building Tanzania Research Assistants Awarded Foreign Language Scholarship
Javohn B. Dyer
The Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) scholarship is available to graduate and undergraduate students who intend to utilize a foreign language in their future careers. I was awarded the FLAS scholarship to support my study of Kiswahili which is a Bantu language that is commonly used in many East African countries. Thanks to my large award besides funding travel, I will utilize the money to support my research at Kiparang’anda primary school located in the Pwani region of Tanzania. I will be conducting one-on-one discussions and group interviews with primary school boys to understand their opinions on the women and girls in their communities. The intended outcome of this project is the production of educational materials that can be used by Kiparang’anda teachers to better educate the student body on sensitive gender derived issues. The FLAS scholarship is a much needed blessing as it will make the acquisition of research materials easier and my research process more efficient.
Aaliya Brooks
I am a sophomore at Michigan State University studying social work. I was recently awarded the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship in order to continue studying Swahili here at MSU. Having been accepted, I plan to further my understanding of the Swahili language and cultures by attending Swahili classes and studying abroad in Tanzania next summer. Without having to worry too much about the financial aspect, I can focus more on furthering my knowledge. I also plan to use my language understanding to improve my work at the CCED. I work on the Women Building in Tanzania project at the CCED, so understanding the Swahili language and cultures will be of great benefit whilst working here. From traveling abroad and learning about Tanzanian culture I can gain new perspectives that will help me in the future as a social worker.