Country profile

Tanzania      New Zealand Capital Dodoma Wellington Population 38.3 million 4.1 million Official language/s Swahili & English English and Maori Per capita income US$340 US$27,250 NZ$1=US$0.70 NZ$464 NZ$38,928 Life expectancy 46 years 80 years Under 5 mortality rate 122/1000 5/1000 Adult literacy 69% 99% (Source: UNICEF The State of the World's Children 2008)

People
Tanzania is home to more than 120 ethnic groups, each with its own language or dialect and traditions. Ethnic diversity in Tanzania has been increased by the dynamic interaction between coastal people and traders, missionaries and colonisers from Oman, India, Portugal, Germany and Britain.

Islam and Christianity are the two main religions, however tribal beliefs are adhered to in many parts of rural Tanzania.

History
Prior to colonisation, the Tanzanian coast was a wealthy area with thriving international trade and centres of learning. Mainland Tanganyika peacefully achieved independence from Britain in 1961 and the island of Zanzibar gained independence in 1963. One year later, the two joined and formed The United Republic of Tanzania. In general Tanzania is one of the most politically stable countries in East Africa.

Geography
Boasting the highest point in Africa, Mt Kilimanjaro (5,895m) and the lowest, Lake Tanganyika (642m below sea level), Tanzania has amazing biodiversity. There are four distinct climatic zones: tropical coastal plains, arid central plateau, humid lake regions and temperate highlands. The country also has one of the highest concentrations of African wildlife.

Economy
Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranked at 164 out of 177 countries in the 2005 Human Development Index. Tanzania’s rising rate of HIV and AIDS pose serious problems for its future economic growth. The World Bank estimates Tanzania’s GDP could be 15-20 per cent lower by 2015 because of the AIDS epidemic, compared with a situation without AIDS.

Agriculture
The economy depends heavily on agriculture. It accounts for almost half of GDP, provides 85 per cent of exports, and employs 80 per cent of the work force. Most farmers still use traditional farming methods and land holdings are generally smaller than three hectares. Limited technology, unsustainable farming methods, lack of irrigation, decreasing soil fertility and labour loss from AIDS-related illness and death contribute to reduced productivity.

Education
Free primary education lasts for seven years, between the ages of 7 and 13 years. However, many children enrol in standard one well after their seventh birthday, especially in rural areas. A growing shortage of teachers, partially caused by deaths from AIDS, means class sizes are typically well above the Ministry of Education’s target of one teacher per 45 students. Classrooms, desks and books are also in short supply.

Although almost two thirds of Tanzanian households are within two kilometres of a primary school, in rural areas a quarter are 20 kilometres or more from a secondary school. Travel distances, school expenses and poor academic results mean that many children leave school and go to work after the national examination in standard seven.

Health
There are six levels of healthcare in Tanzania, from village health posts through to district, regional and referral hospitals. Even in rural areas, more than 90 per cent of people live within 10 kilometres of a basic clinic. While access is not such a problem, waiting times, lack of medicine and high costs are.

Approximately one in eight Tanzanian children die before their fifth birthday. Inadequate immunisation, poor nutrition and unsafe drinking water make children vulnerable to diseases such as measles, dysentery, cholera and tuberculosis.

Malaria remains one of the nation’s biggest killers, however HIV has spread rapidly, leaving a trail of people widowed and children orphaned by AIDS. Among the poor, who cannot afford extra healthcare or absorb income losses, the effects of the disease are even greater.

Tanzania COUNTRY UPDATE

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.”
George Bernard Shaw

When World Vision starts working in a country, the goal is always to meet the most urgent needs. But rather than just solving problems in the short-term, World Vision’s Area Development Programmes (ADPs) make changes that communities can sustain in the long-term. The key to this is getting the people who live in the programme area actively and willingly involved in the development process.

In the early stages of an ADP, this means consulting the community about what their needs are, and how they want to see these problems addressed. World Vision encourages community members to develop their own vision for their future.

Working towards that vision is always challenging and often means the ADP has to teach people to change their habits. First, World Vision holds public information meetings to raise the community’s awareness of the importance of enrolling their children in school, for example, or using safe water. World Vision provides the necessary materials and training to install facilities that are lacking, such as classrooms or water tanks, but the community maintains and manages these resources in the long term. Having seen how the ADP’s work will benefit them, communities are more willing to participate in the development process.

World Vision is only a partner in this process: we provide a safety net, technical support and finance, but the community themselves work towards their own development initiatives.

In Tanzania, savings and credit cooperatives (TSACCOS) are empowering women to become entrepreneurs. Community members save their money as a group and members can then get a loan for small business activities. Loan approval is based on each person’s proven ability to save over the preceding months.

In Budekwa ADP, which is now in its eleventh year of operation, one TSACCOS has given 26 community members loans for farming and small business activities in the past year. Budekwa also has a Community Initiatives Development Agency (BUCIDA), which has increased the number of self-help group members to 56. These members are involved in various income-generating activities. Meanwhile BUCIDA has installed a mill for extracting sunflower oil, which will also bring a new source of income to the community.

The Budekwa community is also heavily involved in helping people living with HIV and AIDS, as well as orphans and vulnerable children, through a community care coalition (CCC). By setting up a CCC, World Vision aims to break down the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS, so that community members take care of each other – no matter what their HIV status.

Now in its fourth year, Ibwera ADP is still relatively young in development terms, but is already getting the community actively involved. World Vision held a four-day training for community leaders, focusing on micro-enterprise development and the formation of community business organisations. Those who participated in the training will pass their knowledge on to others and set up community business organisations at village level.

Ultimately, community involvement means the changes the ADPs are making in Tanzania will be sustainable long after World Vision’s work there is done.