The people, the terrain, the beautiful views and the wildlife are some of the many reasons we love working in Tanzania. Located in East Africa, the country has an incredibly diverse population of over 58 million people (World Bank, 2019) with varied ethnic, linguistic and religious identities. It’s also home to the highest peak in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti National Park and an incredible array of wildlife, including the “big five”. Approximately 38% of the country has been established as game reserves or national parks and Tanzania draws thousands of tourists every year to experience its natural and cultural diversity.

Despite the continuous flow of tourist dollars, approximately 28.2 percent of the population gets by on a little more than a dollar a day (World Bank, 2011). Tanzania has struggled to provide adequate access to education for youth and has been unable to provide sufficient health care, food security and income for all of its people, particularly those in the most rural regions.

Sengerema District in Mwanza region

2012 was the first year that we began working in Tanzania, with a dedication to improving the lives of people in communities throughout the Sengerema district in Mwanza region and supporting the government with its plan to improve primary education, particularly for those in rural areas.

Sengerema is located in the Lake Zone of Sengerema District. It lies directly across Mwanza Town, in Mwanza Gulf, separated by Lake Victoria. It has a population of over 600,000 people with 90% of the population are in rural area and 10% of the population are urban. The main source of income in local community are farming and fishing.