DOREEN MICHAEL
TANZANIA, 17
Project: Renotify
Basic Human Needs: Education
In Doreen’s community within Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, she noticed an extremely high rate of school absence and dropouts. Only 3% of Tanzania’s students remain in school for the final two years of education, and the teacher to student ratio is very high, making it extremely difficult for teachers to focus on individual attendance and performance. Parents often noticed their children’s frequent school absence when it was too late. Their children were already failing school or facing consequences from spending school days partaking in dangerous activity. In April 2019, Doreen created Renotify – a digital platform to ensure students in Tanzania attend school, have a positive educational environment and achieve academic success. Renotify allows teachers and parents to track accurate, transparent data of students. It eases the heavy workload of teachers, while allowing parents to easily access their children’s academic performance and attendance. By working collaboratively with all stakeholders in the education system, Renotify facilitates open communication between parents, students and teachers. The platform has served 200+ students and 70 teachers in 5 schools in Dar es salaam. Doreen is working to help all students in Tanzania to graduate and greatly reduce the nation’s truancy and dropout rates. She ultimately hopes to work in communities beyond Tanzania where education systems need support, starting with regions in Africa and Asia.