Tanzania

Known for such spectacular sites as Mount Kilimanjaro, the islands of Zanzibar and the famed Serengeti plains, Tanzania is also home to more than 120 diverse ethnic groups. Over 75 percent of the population lives in rural areas where small farms produce the maize, sorghum, rice and cassava that serve as the staples of the Tanzanian diet. Despite its natural beauty and bountiful resources—including gold, diamonds, natural gas and coal—the nation faces serious challenges. Nearly 20 percent of Tanzanians live on less than a dollar a day, recurring drought and poor farming techniques cause food shortages, and HIV prevalence stands at 7 percent.

To help address these problems, Catholic Relief Services and our local partners directly serve more than 600,000 Tanzanians. Primary programming areas include HIV and AIDS, agro-enterprise, microfinance, and peacebuilding.

CRS Tanzania employs more than 95 staff members, with a main office in Dar es Salaam and a suboffice in Mwanza. In 2008, the country program opened another suboffice in Arusha.