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Sponsorship in Tanzania

CFCA began working in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 2004.The project is located just outside of Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. The sponsored children receive benefits including food, clothing, housing, help with educational expenses and after-school tutoring.

The project also works closely with the parents of the sponsored children. Through self help and mothers groups, the parents are more involved in the selection of benefits and with the sponsorship program.

About Tanzania

Tanzania is home to Africa’s highest mountain (Mount Kilimanjaro), one of its most famous game reserves (Serengeti National Park), and a rich diversity in culture and climate. The majority of the country is a highland plateau, but Tanzania’s terrain also consists of a semi-desert region, savanna grassland, a mountainous region and a coastal belt. During the long rainy season from March to May, it rains nearly every day. Most parts of the country are either hot and dry or hot and humid, but the mountain range in the northeastern part of the country offers a temperate climate.

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy’s heavy dependence on agriculture in a country where there is only 4.5 percent arable land plays a part in the extreme poverty. Farming provides 85 percent of exports and employs 80 percent of the work force.

Traditionally, industry mainly included the processing of agricultural products and light consumer goods. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania’s out-of-date economic infrastructure and to alleviate poverty. In 1991-2002, growth led to a rise in industrial production and a substantial increase in output of minerals, primarily gold.

The people

On the mainland, there are more than 100 ethnic groups, mainly of Bantu origin. The major non-Bantu ethnic group is the nomadic Maasai, of Nilotic background. The Swahili people from the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba are from a variety of ethnic backgrounds including Arabic, Comorian (Comoros Islands) and Bantu. Tanzania’s official language, Kiswahili, is the primary language of the Swahili people. No single ethnic group dominates the country’s government or economy, and internal conflict is minimal.

Indigenous Africans make up nearly all of the population in Tanzania. Each group has its own distinctive culture, however many traditional values are being adapted to modern life.

Education

Tanzania’s educational structure is made up of two years of pre-primary, seven years of primary, four years of junior secondary (ordinary or “O” level), two years of senior secondary (advanced or “A” level) and three or more years of tertiary (technical school or university).

In the 1960s and 70s, much emphasis was placed on the educational structure, and many schools were built around the country. More recently, however, government funding for education has been minimal, leaving impoverished local communities to cover the costs of educating their children. Primary education is compulsory in Tanzania, but because of limited resources many parents are not able to send their children to school.

Sponsor a child in Tanzania

Sources:

World Factbook