Tanzania (view map)

Tanzaniaow, as it is know today, was created in 1964 after the union of mainland Tanganyika and the island of Zanzibar, which had gained its independence the previous year.

Since then, despite being host to one of the widest ranges of ethnic and religious diversity in the world, Tanzania has enjoyed largely uninterrupted peace and political stability. Today it is an emerging multiparty democracy that has hosted three internationally recognised free and fair elections since 1995.

For the last 20 years, Tanzania’s economy has grown steadily and has achieved growth rates above 5% per year since 2000. This growth has however been achieved at the price of painful economic liberalisation, which has damaged the livelihoods of many of Tanzania’s poorest citizens. Tourism has become one of Tanzania’s major revenue earners with the country’s attractions including Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, wildlife-rich national parks such as the Serengeti, and a beautiful and culturally rich coast line.

Despite its political stability and positive economic growth, much of Tanzania’s population remain poor with more than one third living below the national poverty line. Tanzania also remains heavily dependant on international aid with approximately 40% of the national budget being funded through international aid.

Almost 80% of Tanzania’s population live in rural areas, with most scraping a living from the country’s limited and deteriorating natural resources. The decline of these resources has been exacerbated by poor farming practices including deforestation, over grazing and over cultivation. Climate change is also believed to have also led to increasing desertification and consequent rural urban migration.

Health care in Tanzania remains poor, with many vulnerable communities, especially in rural areas, lacking access to the most basic of services. This has lead to the sustained prevalence of preventable and curable disease such as malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea and measles.

The number of people living with HIV and AIDS has also increased dramatically. Tanzania has an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 8.7% with approximately 1.6 million Tanzanians currently living with the virus. Poverty, gender inequality, migration and poor health infrastructure have contributed to the rapid spread of the disease. Today, HIV/AIDS is the main cause of death among Tanzanians aged 15-19.

SCIAF has been supporting partners in Tanzania for over 25 years, mainly working in partnership with locally run development initiatives in order to help improve the living standards of local communities. At present, SCIAF is currently supporting one partner in the country with grants totalling over £91,000.

Last Updated: January 2008