Promoting Health and Fighting Disease
Alleviating Hunger

MDGs ADDRESSED
MDG 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
MDG 8: Create a global partnership for development

OVERVIEW
Tanzania’s 37 million people are heavily dependent on agriculture which is produced mostly through small-scale farming. Although recent economic growth has reduced the number of poor urbanites, the rural areas—home to 80% of the population—remain entrenched in poverty. Some 36% of the population falls below the basic needs poverty line, and 19% are below the food poverty line.  A staggering 44% of Tanzanian households still use unsafe drinking water and have low accessibility to healthcare.  Malnutrition and famine are rampant.

Malaria is the leading cause of death among both adults and children in Tanzania, and the most common reason for inpatient and outpatient hospital admissions. One person—nearly always a child—dies from malaria every five minutes.

Our PARTNER
Episcopal Relief and Development is partnering with the Anglican Church of Tanzania, which consists of 19 dioceses and 1.3 million congregants. Episcopal Relief and Development is working with the Diocese of Dar es Salaam, which recently assessed rural communities to determine key development priorities for 2007-2008; the Diocese of Central Tanganyika; and the Diocese of Tanga.

Our CURRENT PROGRAMS
Episcopal Relief and Development is improving lives in some of the most remote and economically challenged communities in Tanzania by preventing malaria and HIV/AIDS, providing sources of clean water, and creating opportunities to increase the food supply, learn marketable skills, and earn income.

Promoting Health and Fighting Disease
Episcopal Relief and Development is training people to prevent malaria in the Dioceses of Dar es Salaam and Tanga. Episcopal Relief and Development is also fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS through preventive education, and is providing communities with accessible water sources.

• Long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, along with training in the proper use of nets, ensures that the most vulnerable are protected from the Anopheles mosquitoes that transmit malaria.
• Trained malaria “agents” and volunteers instruct community members in malaria prevention and treatment methods.
• Comprehensive HIV/AIDS awareness education teaches people in 10 villages how to protect themselves and stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.
• New boreholes accessing clean water provides safe sources of water within a kilometer of six villages in the Diocese of Dar es Salaam—Kibaha, Mkuranga, Rufiji, Kisarawe, Mafia, and Bagamoyo.
  

Alleviating Hunger
Episcopal Relief and Development is teaching farmers alternative agricultural techniques and animal husbandry to increase food production in the Dioceses of Dar es Salaam and Central Tanganyika.

• Training in crop processing and preservation improves the skills of farmers in 10 villages.
• Storage facilities and a sustainable crop marketplace increase the ability of farmers to sell produce.
• Dairy cow distribution helps 10 families in three villages improve their nutritional status and increase their income.
• An integrated agricultural development and environmental care project will improve farming practices in 78 villages across four government divisions.

Our PAST ACHIEVEMENTS
The NetsforLife SM malaria prevention partnership distributed 31,500 long-lasting insecticide- treated nets since 2006. A total of 25,830 people were sensitized about malaria prevention, and 300 individuals were trained as malaria agents. This brings the total number of people protected to 57,300.

Episcopal Relief and Development has also assisted the Anglican Church of Tanzania achieve significant development milestones. Previous projects include:

• Developing sources of clean water for household and farming use in four villages in the remote areas in the Diocese of Kondoa— Choka, Kolo, Mnenia, and Pahi.
• Supporting micro-finance projects in fish processing and marketing on the island of Zanzibar.