Arusha, Tanzania
Just 2 short months after our first container left Canadian shores for Makina, Kenya, work began within the team to plan our second container and broaden our connections both locally and globally.While travelling in Africa, the team met an amazing contact in the city of Arusha Tanzania, Emma Makongoro. He told us about the work his organization, Green Hope, does to help the most vulnerable children in the region. We were impressed, and wanted to help. When we came back to Canada, we shared our story with the students and staff at Nutana Collegiate and hatched a plan to load our next container right at their school. Through a connection given to us when we had a chance to meet Stephen Lewis, the former UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, we also connected with a group called Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers, a local group of women in Saskatoon, SK who send goods to grandmothers in Africa caring for children whose parents have died from HIV/ AIDS.
Everything started to come together quickly, and on April 18th, 2007 our second container closed its doors and headed for Arusha.
About Arusha
Located in Northern Tanzania, Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa’s most beautiful landscapes and national parks. The city sits at the base of Mt. Meru, a 4500 meter volcano where the climate and rainfall is good for vegetation. Arusha is known as the safari capital of the world, making tourism a significant part of the local economy.
On the outside, Arusha may have a green and lush appearance, but on the inside it faces massive poverty. Tanzania’s education system has deteriorated, creating high unemployment rates increasing poverty rates and a steadily increasing spread of disease as a result of poor access to proper health care. As the impacts of this economic reality grow, so do Arusha’s slums which are now amongst the largest and fastest growing in Tanzania.
How WSY Met a Specific Need
When Arusha was originally chosen as a place for Tanzanians to live, it was selected because of its strategic location to fend off rivals, but also because of its altitude. When nightfall came in Arusha, the temperature dropped just enough to keep mosquitoes from taking flight in the city, protecting the civilians of the city from contracting Malaria.
As an impact of global warming, Arusha’s average nightly temperature has risen, making it just the right climate for mosquitoes become active at night, carrying the malaria infection with them as they feed on the people of Arusha as they sleep. Because of this, Malaria now infects and kills people within the region at a rate that is three times more deadly than HIV/ AIDS.
When We See You heard about this, we reached out to an organization called Nothing But Nets, a non-profit organization that distributes mosquito nets to African people to sleep under at night. One net can cover as many as five people, meaning that for as little as $10, we could save 5 lives. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation made this an even better proposition, matching every dollar raised through their organization.
Through our community partners and friends, We See You raised enough funds to buy 450 nets for people in the Arusha area, protecting as many as 2,250 people from malaria infection.
Overview
Community: Arusha is considered the safari capital of the world and is located at the base of Mt. Meru.Population: Tanzania’s population is 38.2 Million and the town of Arusha is approximately 516,000 people.
Average Income: The average annual income per person in Tanzania is $255. That is less than $1 a day.
Crisis: More than 12% of children (0-17 years) are orphaned due to all causes (Malaria, AIDS). Malaria kills women and children at a rate 3 times that of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania.
