Mwanza, Tanzania
Each container the SaskTel We See You program sends is special in its own way. We always seem to establish connections with special people who have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place for people in their community, and we always manage to meet a specific need for them through our partners and connections made through our amazing army of We See You volunteers.
.jpg)
As our connections in Africa become stronger, opportunities to grow and develop the impact of each and every container becomes greater. In fact, one of the main reasons why we chose Mwanza as our next container destination was the chance to work with Emma Makongoro of Green Hope again. Emma has distributed the goods that we sent to him through our second container to hundreds of Tanzania’s most vulnerable children in orphanages in and around the Arusha area. Emma has also leveraged the technology that we sent him through our partnership to build relationships with other organizations that can help him and the Green Hope team meets the needs of the youth that they work with.
Emma will not only assist us with the distribution of this next container to another region of the country of Tanzania, but he will travel to Canada as a SaskTel We See You team member to help us pack the container in Regina. Emma will be working with the team, our partners and the rest of the volunteers to learn what’s done on our end to send a container half way across the world to organizations such as his.
About our Partner- GREEN HOPE
Green Hope Org was formed by various motivated Tanzanians who share a common vision to identify, promote and protect the lives of marginalized youth and vulnerable children in urban and rural Tanzanian communities.
In Mwanza, Green Hope Org runs six main programs that are aimed at providing care and support for the most vulnerable children (MVC), youth and women at a grassroots level. Their goals are lofty, but are none the less noble- Within their programming goals they seek to create a malaria free Tanzania, increase access to income for youth and women in the area, support and care for orphans and other vulnerable children, educate youth about HIV/AIDS and promote renewable energy resource programs for a greener Tanzania.
About Mwanza
Agriculture in the Mwanza region plays a crucial role in their economic activity, employing 85% of their rural population. Crop farming, livestock, forestry, hunting and fishing is the backbone of their economy contributing at least 65 percent of all regional GDP earnings. Crops grown their include cotton, rice, beans, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. Fishing is also an important activity to the residents of Mwanza, as Lake Victoria is the world’s second largest fresh water lake.
Mwanza is a unique destination in Tanzania, offering beautiful scenery and close proximity to national parks. A famous landmark is the Bismarck Rock Once known as Mwanamalundi, a large outcrop of granite rocks. Mwanza is also the cultural centre of the Sukuma, the largest ethnic group in Tanzania.
How WSY Met A Specific Need
As a result of global warming, Tanzania’s average nightly temperature has risen, making it just the right climate for mosquitoes to become active at night, carrying the malaria infection with them as they feed on the people of Tanzania 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. Youth and community members at the North Central Family Centre in Regina helped raised more than $2000 for Green Hope to purchase mosquito nets back in Tanzania, where one of the largest mosquito net producers is located. Back in Tanzania, the We See You team and Green Hope Organization were able to purchase 120 mosquito nets for children between the ages of 6-18, safeguarding 240+ children from malaria. On World Malaria Day 2009, it was also announced that all children in Tanzania up to 5 years of age would be receiving a free mosquito net as part of an initiative from UNICEF, the World Bank and other organizations providing aid in Tanzania.
In addition, the 200+ school bags filled with school supplies donated by Jack Mackenzie Elementary School will be provided to youth in orphanages, youth being parented by their grandmothers, and other children attending schools and require school supplies, helping to ensure their educational needs are being met.
Overview
Community: Mwanza is Green Hope's 2nd location in Tanzania, Arusha being the first. Mwanza is located in the northern part of Tanzania 6 hours away from Arusha and is Tanzania's 2nd largest city.Population: Mwanza has a populations of approximately 2 million people.
Average Income: The average income per person in Tanzania is $250US/year.
Crisis: Tanzania is the 4th poorest country in the world. The number of people with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania is 1.6 million and 40% of the orphans in the country have HIV/AIDS.
