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Usawa Agenda

Learning

Usawa Agenda adopted learning activities that were developed over the years under Twaweza to maintain a learning culture, encourage innovation, expand practical skills, and keep in sync with the socioeconomic realities of the communities we serve. The learning approach also draws on the insights gained from the monitoring and evaluation processes and reports, to inform the improvement of practice and performance. We create opportunities for sharing experiences acquired from within and outside, e.g., from attending conferences and external meetings.

Staff and partners are supported to attend relevant short pieces of training, study visits and selected conferences as part of learning to improve their professional knowledge and skills.

Those who attend these events lead learning sessions at an organizational level for the benefit of the rest of the staff. The MEL staff document the lessons from the implementation of all programs, either carried out by Usawa on its own or in partnership with others, to inform internal learning.

We create learning opportunities for selected fresh graduates through a 3-6-month internship program. We also provide opportunities for established academics and researchers to spend their sabbatical leaves with us, utilizing our data to do their writing, providing us with feedback on any data quality issues they encounter while using our data, and contributing to global knowledge. Such academics may be involved in designing and executing specific studies as per our strategic plan to complement internal capacities. Learning platforms and other outward learning events are organized to facilitate external learning. These include:

Review emerging lessons from implementation – what is working & why? What is not working & why? What local partners, the public, public officials, and communities are learning from Usawa programs and how these lessons are being applied to trigger positive system shifts in favor of education justice; assessing adaptation of any approaches or activities from what they have learned or are learning; and whether the adapted approaches are working.

Annual staff retreats (3-4 days) are organized to reflect on the progress made in the year, draw lessons from what worked and what didn’t, and plan for the following year. The annual staff retreat is envisioned to allow staff to reflect on their practice and performance, and document progress, gaps, lessons, challenges, and way forward. Opportunities for staff to share experience and insights, and to allow the strengthening of continuous learning, participation, and teamwork are provided. The outcome of the retreat is a draft annual report and a plan for the coming year.

We bring together all key stakeholders in our different projects including representatives of local communities, teachers, and parents as well as Civil Society Organisations (CSO) partners, Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), government, and relevant Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs). Successes, challenges, and lessons emerging from implementing activities are consolidated, documented, and shared with all the stakeholders.

We plan to strengthen both the internal and external learning opportunities for our staff. Each unit within Usawa is required to take the entire team through their projects/tasks at least once per month. This provides a chance for feedback and to learn from other staff members and an opportunity to track the progress and evaluation of what is working.

As part of learning, career growth, and development, the Usawa team is encouraged and supported to design, write, and publish journal articles on various topics related to education matters particularly, education outcomes and their drivers.

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