Tanzania
In Tanzania, Oxfam's focus is on sustainable livelihoods, rights of pastoral communities, education, and HIV and AIDS.
Investing in the future
For Tanzania, 2002 was a good year. The government introduced free and compulsory primary education, made possible by debt relief.
- 1.6 million children attended primary school for the first time
- Numbers have been rising ever since.
Ironically, therein lies a new problem. In some places teachers must now manage classes of nearly 100.
How Oxfam is helping
We train and mentor teachers to help them provide the best possible education for their pupils. We also campaign to help increase the numbers of teachers in Tanzania and improve school facilities.
There used to be such a big gap between the teacher and the pupils. Now we get on. We’ve all realised we’re working toward the same goal – to get children to learn better.
Eunice Kisakwa, Science Teacher, Shinyanga
Land rights and wrongs
Ngorongoro and the Serengeti in northern Tanzania are among Africa's top tourist attractions. But life there for the nomadic Maasai can be particularly hard.
Many Maasai can no longer use water sources taken over by tourist lodges, and are being denied the right to farm, graze livestock, or even build permanent houses on their traditional lands.
How Oxfam is helping
We promote groups and associations to represent nomadic herders (pastoralists), and speak up for their rights in the policy and planning processes that affect them. We also provide them with cash loans and marketing advice for their products to help improve their livelihoods.
We don’t want the tourists to disappear. We only want the right to stay on our land, and to have some benefit from those who come to share it.
Noolosho Nakuta, pastoralist, Ngorongoro
Other development work
- Supporting HIV and AIDS initiatives
- Providing support, care, and treatment facilities to those living with HIV
- Helping rural communities earn a living and build a secure future
East Africa Food Crisis 2006
In 2006, eight million people across East Africa were affected by severe food and water shortages.
The seeds we planted in January 2006 were all lost. Had the drought not happened these crops would have taken us all the way through to next year... but we were left with nothing. The food we received from Oxfam helped us during dark times.
Catherine Shija, Shinyanga
How Oxfam is helping
Since March 2006, Oxfam and our partners have assisted more than 784,000 people across the drought-affected areas by providing water, supporting people's livelihoods and distributing food aid.
Learn more
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