Tanzania in East Africa is part of the Great Lakes region with partial access to Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi.
Home of the wildebeest and Maasai
Why Tanzania?
Steady Growth
The country is bordered by Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, the DRC and the Indian Ocean. The semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago lies off the coast. Tanzania has experienced steady economic growth since 2007 and aims to become a middle-income country by 2025.
Millennium Development Goals
Tanzania is also on track to meet four of the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals, namely reducing infant and under five mortality, universal primary education, combating HIV/AIDS and malaria and addressing gender inequality.
Challenges
Equality and inclusiveness remain a significant challenge across gender and rural/urban lines with about 33% of the rural population, and 60% of women, living in poverty. In addition, while nearly 90% of women work, more than half aren’t paid to do so. Children in rural areas are also at higher risk of malnutrition and stunting as a result of chronic hunger.
Conservation
In terms of conservation, Tanzania has 16 national parks and a variety of game and forest reserves to protect the country’s abundant biodiversity and variety of wildlife. But with 80% of the population relying on agriculture for their livelihoods, deforestation is rampant in mainland Tanzania. In addition, over-fishing, livestock overstocking, poaching and illegal wildlife trade have had major threats to the natural environment.
Support
Africa Foundation is active in 24 communities in Tanzania. Supporting communities neighboring the Serengeti National Park and Lake Manayara National Park, communities within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and close to the coral reefs off the coast of north-east Zanzibar.
