Where We Work

Part Paradise
Situated in East Africa, Tanzania is a beautiful country with a rich mix of natural resources and landscapes. Within its borders, flamingos stand in the salt pans of the Ngorongoro Crater and herds of wildebeest thunder by the thousands over the Serengeti Plains. Breezes off the Indian Ocean caress the white sands of Zanzibar's Spice Islands and Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, rests on the horizon.

Profound Poverty
Yet, amidst these natural wonders, many of Tanzania's 17.5 million children live in the world's worst poverty. To make matters worse, HIV infection continues to ravage the population, leaving 1.2 million children orphaned and searching for a brighter future.

Vast Potential
Challenging as it is, Tanzania is well positioned for change and development. Compared to many other African nations, Tanzania has:

• A stable political environment led by a popular ruling party that oversaw the country's recent successful transition to a multi-party democracy.
• A harmonious society encompassing 120 ethnic groups who live peacefully together in one of Africa's most diverse nations.
• A rapidly diversifying economy marked by stable GDP growth over the past decade.
• A relatively controlled corruption status recognized by the World Bank as "above average" for the region in terms of prevalence of corruption.

The Promise of Education
Despite significant government efforts to improve education in Tanzania, this crucial sector still faces enormous challenges, including:

Low enrollment and graduation rates: Currently, 67% of Tanzanian children finish primary school and only 5% attend secondary school.

Overcrowded classrooms: With an average of 60 and often as many as 100 students per classroom, teachers cannot utilize interactive methodologies or provide individualized instruction.

Inadequate learning materials: In some schools, as many as 20 students share a single textbook. Reference books, labs, and teaching aids are in extremely short supply.

Insufficient qualified teachers and inadequate compensation: Tanzania needs more than 6,000 additional teachers to meet current needs. Tanzanian teachers need to earn higher wages so they can teach without needing a second job. It is also important for teachers to find rural education positions attractive, despite difficult living conditions.

Poor classroom facilities: Lack of funding means that many classrooms remain unfinished, often lacking roofs or windows. Shortages of furniture and blackboards are common and rural schools rarely have electricity.