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¡°You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals¡±

Marie Curie, Physicist and Mathematician. 

Around 40 percent of female students in Tanzania enroll in university courses, but only 24 percent choose a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM), according to a UNESCO report. 

Literacy levels are on the rise in this East African country ¨C despite disparities in rural and urban areas, as well as in primary and secondary education ¨C but developing a systematic approach to foster young girls¡¯ involvement in STEM is particularly important. It contributes to their economic independence, narrows the gender pay gap and ensures a diverse and talented STEM workforce.

Against this background, the World Bank Center for Development Data (C4D2), part of the Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS), in partnership with the , and support from the , organized an outreach initiative in Tanzania to encourage young female students to pursue a higher education degree in STEM. (*)

¡°Our goal was to shed light on the opportunities to follow a career path in STEM, statistics and data science. It was our first time organizing such an event, and it was a very positive experience. We hope to use it as a pilot test to increase our outreach efforts,¡± said Federico Polidoro, Senior Statistician at the C4D2 and lead of the team who travelled to Tanzania to implement the initiative.  

Six public and private high schools were visited over six days - one each day. Around 3,500 female students, aged between 14 and 18 years old, who were enrolled in the Ordinary and Advanced level of Tanzania¡¯s secondary educational system, participated in the activities planned as part of the C4D2 outreach initiative. 

¡°I was close to the girls, they were smiley, enthusiastic, excited and curious. There was a warm and friendly atmosphere throughout,¡± said Maria Chiara De Sando, who supported the coordination of the event and is a Senior Program Assistant at the C4D2. 

Women in science: No sweet without sweat 

The activities organized for the visits to each of the schools - located in Tanzania¡¯s largest city, Dar es Salaam, and the coastal city of Bagamoyo - included the screening of a film and a previously recorded interview with Dr. Albina Chuwa, Statistician General of the .

Chuwa recounted her journey as a young female statistician and the multiple challenges she had to overcome. In 1986, she was one of only two women, out of 75 members of staff, at the Central Bureau of Statistics in Tanzania ¨C as NBS was formerly known.  

¡°I had to fight my way through the men. When I said I had the dream of applying for the role of Statistician General, people were laughing at me: ¡®Look at this Albina, she is a pre-school statistician.¡¯ But I was so confident when I went to the interview! There were eight candidates, I was the only woman in the competition¡­ and I got the role.¡± 

Her advice for the young female students watching her interview? 

¡°Work hard. Do not think a man will take care of you, jump on every opportunity you get, do not wait. Integrity, respect, professionalism, autonomy, scientific independence and teamwork ¨C those are core values. Do not be discouraged by anyone. There is no sweet without sweat,¡± said Chuwa. 

Exceeding expectations

The film exhibited was Hidden Figures, which is based on the achievements of three African American mathematicians who worked at NASA during the Space Race, and features Octavia Spencer, Kirsten Dunst and Kevin Costner in its cast. 

The exhibition drew on the successful experience of Cinema Arena, a mobile cinema project that disseminates information and encourages discussions across a wide range of topics. It has been supported by the AICS and implemented in various countries in Africa since the 2000s. 

A debate and a dynamic session of questions and answers followed the screening. 

¡°The girls were engaged and asking insightful questions. When the activities ended, they gathered around and hugged us. It was a touching moment, as it made us realize that the initiative's impact far exceeded our initial expectations,¡± concluded De Sando.   

In 2025, additional STEM outreach activities for young female students will be organized in C?te?d¡¯Ivoire and Ethiopia by the C4D2 and its partners. 

(*) This outreach initiative was also supported by the Development Economics Institute, a new project in the office of the World Bank Chief Economist to make development knowledge more accessible and actionable. 

The team wishes to acknowledge the support provided by Mary Irene Lucas Singili, Team Assistant at the World Bank¡¯s Country Office in Tanzania; Nyambilila Minga, EASTC Consultant; and Marco Ballerini and Andrea Borgarello, Cinema Arena Project Coordinators.