Earlier this month we announced that Asante Africa Foundation – Tanzania is the recipient of STS International’s 2026 Whole Child Model Grant. Today we want to introduce them properly — because the more you know about what Asante has already built, the more exciting this partnership becomes.
Asante Africa Foundation has been working in East Africa for years to support young people through programs that address what students actually need to thrive. In Tanzania, their work centers on two complementary programs: the Wezesha Vijana Program (WVP), which builds life skills, health knowledge, leadership, and community and parental engagement through school-based clubs; and the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP), which strengthens foundational literacy, numeracy, and STEM instruction and supports digital learning for vulnerable students. In practice, many of the schools they work in benefit from both — but resource constraints have meant the programs run in parallel rather than as one unified model.
That’s exactly what the WCM grant changes.
When we asked Asante what they would do differently with this grant, their answer was clear: a parallel focus on teacher capacity strengthening, student health, and community engagement outcomes. Programming sequencing will be intentionally aligned to ensure continuity from the early grade to the upper grades. Meaning each of the four participating schools receives a coordinated package that addresses children’s academic, health, life skills, and social-emotional needs within a single framework. Teachers collaborating across subjects and club activities. Data collected holistically. School and community stakeholders working toward shared outcomes.
They’re also expanding their monitoring and evaluation systems to track outcomes across academic performance, well-being, and community engagement, which generates the kind of evidence that can support scale-up and inform future practice.
This is what locally led action looks like in practice: an organization that knows its context deeply, has spent years building community trust, and is ready to take what works to the next level with the right support behind it. We’re glad to be that support. Stay tuned for updates as the work gets underway