Overview
Assisting refugees
Concern provided water, sanitation and hygiene programmes for nearly 80,000 Burundi refugees living in Tanzania in 2005. That number has now dropped to 37,000, as many refugees have been able to return home. Concern provided access to safe water, and conducted research into water purification schemes. Concern also worked on projects to improve effectiveness of biological mosquito control and develop locally-made flytraps, which are now used in many camps in western Tanzania.
Supplying water
In the Mtwara district in southern Tanzania, Concern and the local water board created a water supply network that serves 15,000 people in eight villages. Concern worked with the board ensuring local people could manage and maintain the water network without Concern’s help in the future.
Improving access to food and land
With the goal of eradicating poverty among poor farmers, Concern helped village institutions, civil organisations and common interest groups in four rural districts. In Mtwara, Iringa and Kilolo districts, Concern worked towards improving poor people’s access to food and land. The programme helped farmers increase production, market their goods and buy land. While 22,000 farmers benefited directly from the programme, another 268,370 people were indirect beneficiaries. The villages now have more than 100 skilled people offering help to the farmers, as well as active village HIV and AIDS committees.
HIV and AIDS prevention
Since 2003, Concern began a national HIV and AIDS programme in all operational areas within Tanzania. The goal of this programme has been to contain the epidemic and to improve community-based solutions for HIV and AIDS prevention. Concern’s current emphasis is on providing support at the national level.
Supporting local organisations
Concern has helped to improve the effectiveness of 36 civil society organisations in Masasi, Kigoma and Dar es Salaam. The staff of these organisations were given training in policy on land issues, agricultural techniques, and HIV and AIDS issues.
