Projects in Tanzania

Agriculture

Peace Corps Tanzania's Sustainable Agriculture project provides trained Volunteers who work with community members to employ proven extension methods (e.g., one-on-one teaching, group training, and farmer-to-farmer demonstrations). The Volunteers transfer agriculture-related knowledge, skills, and attitudes directly to smallholder farmers, including women, men, and youth. Also, Agriculture Volunteers assist smallholder farmer households to adopt several aspects of agricultural production: improved crop cultivation technologies and practices; small animal husbandry, including chicken and beekeeping; improved soil and water conservation and management practices; agroforestry practices; and improved post-harvest management. Additionally, Agriculture Volunteers assist smallholder-farming households to adopt business skills that will improve the management of and increase income from their agriculture-based income-generating opportunities. They also assist household members—particularly women of reproductive age and children under 2—to access, cook, and/or consume more diverse, nutrient-rich foods.

The Government of Tanzania has reinforced its priorities in enhancing engagement of youth in the Agricultural sector through agribusiness and gardening in primary schools. These priorities align with the Peace Corps' Agriculture project framework. Peace Corps Tanzania continues to build skills of Volunteers and their community counterparts in facilitating positive behavior change towards agriculture, mobilizing rural youth to form strong groups to access financial support, and training them on best agriculture practices and agribusiness. Also, Volunteers and their counterparts work with primary schools in nutrition education, gardening, and fruit tree growing projects to supplement student meals with essential nutrients.

Education

Education Volunteers teach math, science, and English subjects in both public and private secondary schools. The language of instruction is English. Of the current Volunteers in Tanzania, about 60 percent serve in the Education sector.

The majority of Volunteers teach secondary school math, science (biology, chemistry, physics) or English subjects. Volunteers also teach information and communications technology (ICT) or are placed at teachers’ or technical colleges. Peace Corps Tanzania does not place Volunteers in primary or pre-primary positions. Volunteers work with a focus on two goals: improved achievement in math, science, and English proficiency and comprehension; and assisting Tanzanian teachers to improve their content-based, student-centered teaching techniques in these subjects. 

Health

The Health sector has a substantial focus on HIV/AIDS education. Volunteers play an important role in HIV/AIDS prevention through behavior change, education and life-skills activities. Due to high levels of poverty in villages, Volunteers also spend significant amounts of time creating and facilitating opportunities for villagers to improve their livelihoods.

Volunteers also play a big role in primary health-care education, which includes instruction on safe water and sanitation, prevention of waterborne and diarrheal diseases, malaria, and maternal and child nutrition. Volunteers are also involved with care and support for people living with HIV as well as orphans and vulnerable children, empowering them with the information they need to manage their conditions.

Other activities

Some Volunteers, in collaboration with Tanzanian counterparts, work on projects or trainings involving:

• Chicken husbandry and large livestock rearing (cows, goats, etc.)
• Fuel-efficient cook stove construction
• Beekeeping
• Water storage and sanitation construction
• Post-harvest techniques
• Latrine construction
• Food value added/processing (e.g., drying, canning)
• Water irrigation
• Gardening/tree nurseries/seed beds/seed saving
• Land use management (e.g., agroforestry)
• Environmental sustainability