Tanzania

A major focus for the Peace Corps program in Tanzania is secondary education. The country has a critical shortage of math and science teachers at the secondary school level. Due to lack of financial and human resources, the government is not able to attract the number of teachers it requires. Current Volunteers teach mathematics and science subjects in both private and public schools, as well as information and communication technology (ICT) at teacher colleges. All Volunteer teachers in secondary schools help with computer skills training.

Education Volunteers also work in resource identification and development, curriculum improvement, and extracurricular and community projects. Volunteers incorporate issues important to the surrounding community into their lesson plans, including HIV/AIDS, environmental education, and girls' empowerment.

The health education project increases basic health knowledge and improves health attitudes and behaviors of Tanzanian youth, particularly in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention. Volunteers are assigned in communities with functioning schools, primary and secondary schools, a health center/dispensary, and a functioning village government.

An environment project addresses basic village-level needs for the conservation and development of natural resources. The project has expanded to address community needs and national strategies, including the National Poverty Reduction Strategy Plan and a local government reform program that decentralized economic planning down to the district and village levels.

The project empowers Volunteers and their counterparts to make use of existing indigenous knowledge in agriculture, soil conservation, small-scale agribusiness, environmental education, home gardens, and HIV/AIDS awareness while mitigating its impact to agriculture and food security in the rural areas.

All Volunteers are involved with HIV/AIDS prevention activities. They may also help care for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) or orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) by providing nutrition education through permaculture and sustainable agriculture activities so these groups can live longer more productive lives by boosting their immune systems.

Last updated Sep 28 2008