Tanzania: Developing innovative solutions to protect livelihoods and promote social change

While Tanzania has been spared the trouble that has wounded many African countries, stability at home has not translated into economic fortune.

This has a lot to do with geographical location - a tourism rich state burdened by the conflicts that surround it. For over half a century, Tanzania has become a safe haven for refugees from neighbouring countries. Despite extensive efforts to welcome asylum from war-torn countries, including Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), patience is wearing thin. Tanzanians have their own problems to face.

Across the country, climate change threatens peoples main source of livelihood. A strong dependence on agriculture - 76% of the population rely on subsistence farming for their daily survival - has left the Tanzanian economy highly vulnerable to weather shocks and unstable commodity prices. And this, coupled with inadequate technology, lack of education and weak infrastructure, is seeing chronic poverty and malnutrition rates soar - with female-headed households, shunned by society, disproportionately affected.

Population

Tanzania has a population of 63 million people

Poverty

Around 20 million people are living below the poverty line

Our Reach

In 2021 55,747 people took part in our programmes

What we do in Tanzania

Dorcas works inside Tanzania to help people in rural communities learn a trade, find work and grow their business. Our programmes focus on the advancement of new tools and techniques designed to fuel climate resilience. We also work to safeguard the rights of marginalised groups, raising awareness of the specific threats faced by women and girls and people in conflict with the law.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

Inside two of Tanzania's major prisons we have been able to resume project activities. A deep-clean has taken place at both premises, inmates are supplied with soap and detergents and physically distanced visits from Dorcas care workers and church pastors have recommenced.

Our MHM4Her programme has also been adapted with one goal in mind - to ensure that every girl gets the support and information they need.

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Social Protection

We invest in the social development and wellbeing of children through early childhood development and social and financial skills training. We work with parents and caregivers to help them embrace positive parenting techniques and tackle issues at home. Our community safety nets also work to give vulnerable elderly a better quality of life - making their wellbeing a community project.

Entrepreneurship

We teach locals turned mini-entrepreneurs how to best utilise the energy, water and agricultural land around them. Untapped renewable energy sources have a big role to play. We inspire people to form Village Community Banking groups - a way to save, borrow and prosper together. We also support marginalised groups in the development of core skills through TVET, life skills and tailor-made courses that act as the building blocks for lifelong learning.

Prison Care

We have the unique opportunity to work in prisons - helping prisoners heal and prepare to pick up their lives again upon release. We combine pastoral care with one-to-one training; where inmates learn to practice a profession. EO Metterdaad made an impressive documentary about our journey.

Menstrual Hygiene Management

We work to break the taboo around female menstruation in northeast Tanzania. We provide menstrual hygiene products and safer facilities at 25 schools across the region. We also work with teachers and help young girls become role models, raising awareness about the menstrual cycle and how to combat stigma.

Supamoto - The Future of Clean Cooking

Despite global efforts to endorse modern energy solutions, more than 2.6 billion people worldwide do not have access to a clean cooking facility (IEA, 2019). In Tanzania, this reality is particularly acute. Household air pollution, a result of burning woodfuel on open fires, has been linked to a number of serious health conditions including cancer, respiratory infections and even premature death.

Alarmingly, the problems don't end there. Smoke generated from burning woodfuel also releases harmful greenhouse emissions into the environment. Forest degradation and deforestation is another major consequence of the unsustainable harvesting of woodfuel. Still, rural communities, with little alternative, continue to rely heavily on traditional biomass stoves, with women and children worst affected.

Meet our Country Director…

Lilian Michael Urassa - Country Director Tanzania

"At Dorcas we believe all people have value and warrant God's mercy. That's why we make it our goal to include everyone in society in our response. This is particularly relevant in rural Tanzania where families depend heavily on subsistence farming and the rights of children, women and those with disabilities regularly come under threat. Awareness-raising, skills development and improved access to basic services are essential components for increasing productivity and ironing out centuries-old inequalities. This is how we can hope to change communities for the better."