Oxfam's work in Tanzania in depth

Oxfam GB has been working in Tanzania since the early 1970s. Our current work aims to improve livelihoods, to ensure people have adequate basic services, are safe, and can have an influence over decisions that affect them and their communities.

New reports

• Oxfam GB in Tanzania Annual Report (May 2006 – May 2007)
• National Change Strategy for Tanzania 2007 – 2017

Our work includes primary education in urban and rural areas, helping people to have enough food, emergency responses to help people affected by armed conflict and natural disasters, and support for a range of associations and networks which share Oxfam’s commitment to fighting poverty.

Education

Education is crucial: it enables marginalised people to take control of their lives and raise their standards of living. Oxfam is involved in education projects in Shinyanga Region and the Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region.

We share the good practices, experiences and learning from our work locally, nationally, regionally, and internationally. This will in turn contribute to the Global Education Campaign for affordable good-quality education for all children by 2015.

Pastoralists – Ngorongoro

Our work with nomadic herders, or ‘pastoralists’, aims to overcome discrimination against them in obtaining services and work opportunities. We promote effective groups and associations to represent pastoralists and to speak up for their rights. Pastoralist participation in policy and planning processes affecting them is encouraged, as is understanding among policy-makers and planners.

In four villages – Malambo, Piyaya, Pinyiny and Engaresero, in Ngorongoro district, we support people seeking to improve their livelihoods The four villages have been designated on the basis of vulnerability to drought.

Emergency work

This part of our work ensures that Oxfam and its partners have the capacity to provide timely and high-quality emergency assistance to those whose lives or livelihoods are threatened by drought.

We work with UNHCR and local partners to ensure the protection and upholding of refugee rights. This work is done through providing safe and adequate water and sanitation facilities to refugee camps, and the provision of a forum for refugees to air their issues.

We also work with and support the government in the development and implementation of a national disaster preparedness and response strategy. We have been instrumental in the establishment of early warning systems at the district level and engaging with the national level food security information system.

Livelihoods

We are developing stronger livelihoods work in Tanzania, targeting communities that are particularly vulnerable, focusing on drought-prone areas and the existing key areas of Ngorongoro and Shinyanga.

We aim to ensure that communities have enough food and income. The main beneficiaries are women, young people, small-scale farmers, and other vulnerable groups.

We have been working with rural communities on projects designed to give people the chance to earn a living and to build more secure futures for themselves and their families. This work includes teaching communities about their land rights; improving pre-school child care facilities so that women can go out to work; and providing credit and loan schemes so that poor people can borrow at a fair rate of interest to set up their own small businesses.

Work with other Oxfams

We work with Oxfam Ireland and Oxfam Novib toward mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS amongst our partners and within the communities that we jointly support. HIV/AIDS prevention, support, care and treatment facilities are provided to staff and their families. We also work with our partners to ensure that the impact of HIV/AIDS on the communities that they serve is taken into consideration in the implementation of their programmes.

We work with Oxfam Ireland and Oxfam Novib toward influencing policies and practices relating to pastoralism, land, investment and trade and markets in Tanzania. Our desire is to ensure that policies and practices emanating from government in relation to these four areas benefit the poor.

Last updated: December 05