Teaching language, culture and connection through Kiswahili | Monica Njoroge-Eaton
Community Languages Teacher Medal sponsored by NSW Department of Education
Monica Njoroge-Eaton realised something was missing when her own children struggled to learn Kiswahili at home.
Teaching them herself was not enough. Without other speakers around them, the language was slipping away.
So, she started the first Kiswahili community school in New South Wales.
Monica grew up in Kenya and came to Australia to study. After marrying and starting a family, she saw how difficult it was to pass on language and culture without a shared learning environment.
“I tried teaching them, talking to them, but it’s really difficult to do it when I’m the only one who is providing the input,” she said.
“So, they were just not picking up the language.
“It’s important for them to maintain their culture.
“They don’t even need to speak fluently or anything, but they can say some things in Swahili.
“I think that gives them a sense of pride.”
Today, around 40 students aged two to 18, attend classes across two campuses in Newcastle and on the Central Coast.
Many come from African backgrounds, while others join out of interest in the language and cultures.
Monica keeps lessons active and practical.
Students learn beyond the classroom through excursions to places like farms and zoos, where they identify animals and birds and name them in Kiswahili.
She has also worked with designers to create a Kiswahili teaching resource book based on students’ own work.
“I just love being with the kids,” Monica said.
“It’s such a rewarding thing to do, to teach and to show them this language.
“And they think that they can’t speak, but they try. They try really hard and it’s so nice to see that.”
Learning the language also strengthens family connections.
“There are quite a few students in contact with their grandparents, perhaps in Africa or elsewhere,” Monica said.
“You can see the kids want to speak the language and they’re getting something from it.
“And, just the socialising on Saturday with other kids who are of the same background. That’s important.”
Monica Njoroge-Eaton is the winner of the 2026 Community Languages Teacher Medal.
