Tanzania
Tanzania is situated in East Africa and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east and eight other countries to the north, west and south. Tanzania became independent from British rule in 1961, in a peaceful transition that was followed by the nationalisation of its banks and many large industries until the mid-1980s, when economic turmoil led to liquidation of the public sector and the deregulation of financial and agricultural markets. Over the decades, Tanzania's economy has suffered from destablising shocks related to oil, food and commodity prices, and drought. Today, Tanzania is relatively peaceful and stable politically, although ranking among the world's least-developed nations. It has few natural resources and under-developed agricultural practices, with most farmers cultivating their land by hand. More than 40 percent of its people live in areas where unreliable rainfall leads to chronic food shortages. |
| Promoting Children Participation As important as the right to a name or to adequate food, shelter and protection, is the right for children to express themselves and participate in the things that affect them.
World Vision is working with communities to set up non-threatening environments where children can express their opinions and have active roles in community life. These activities include: • helping children improve their communication skills, develop artistic expression and nurture spiritual growth, while learning about rights and responsibilities.
• selecting children to represent each project at a District Children’s Committee.
• organizing annual conferences where children set plans of action on issues like health, education, child protection and HIV/AIDS.
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Threats to community and child health Nearly one-third of Tanzania's population lacks access to clean water, and various preventable diseases continue to threaten the lives of children -- including malaria, the biggest child killer.
The AIDS pandemic has also taken its toll on Tanzania. Currently there are nearly one million children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS and more than one million people currently living with HIV and AIDS. This has put tremendous pressure on already overstretched healthcare and community support services, and has reduced the number of farmers working the land to grow food.
World Vision in Tanzania
World Vision started working in Tanzania in 1981. It is now working in thirteen regions, and with longer-term community-based Area Development Programmes, through child sponsorship, and special targeted projects, is now helping more than 5 million people.
Healthcare, education and clean water are priorities for helping Tanzania’s people towards a better future. In response, World Vision is:
• working with more than 1000 schools to improve the quality of education, providw school materials, improve infrastructure, train teachers and school administrators – and highlight the importance of education, particularly for girls.
• Increasing community access to primary healthcare, training local health and infant care providers, and fighting malaria by supplying insecticide-treated mosquito nets. • working to reduce the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS through integrated, community-based primary healthcare, advocacy, counselling and support for people living with HIVand AIDS, with a special focus on orphans and vulnerable children.
• working with farming families to improve household food security, reduce malnutrition and increase household incomes.
• increasing access to clean drinking water to sustain life and reduce the spread of waterborne diseases.
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