Precious Life International - Tanzania

Precious Life in Tanzania

Enguiki Primary School - Tanzania

We are located in Monduli District in the province of Arusha and about 30 miles south of the city of Arusha. Precious Life is supporting five schools in this area, two primary schools and three high schools with 30 girls in each primary school and about 20 girls in high school. In general, there are 120 young girls sponsored by the organization in Tanzania alone. The Maasai people of this area are probably the most hospitable people you can ever come across. The Tanzanian people are extremely united and they recognize each other as "Ndugu" which means brotherhood regardless of the gender or color of the skin. This is a country where titles such as: Mr., Mrs., Miss., don't matter - every body is a brother or sister. Even the head of state is referred to as "Brother" (Hopefully a big one, Ha!)

Precious Life is supporting many girls in this area with their education. We provide the children with full school supplies, uniforms such as skirts, sweaters, leather shoes and sports shoes and the funds necessary for their education. High school students are required to pay school fees to cover the tuition and full board. Many families in Kenya and Tanzania find education for their children to be very expensive and especially if the family has multiple children in school or if a parent is single. This great need has largely contributed to the school dropout for many girls of Tanzania and Kenya.

When PLI first started to work in Tanzania in 2004, there were many girls of the tribe who had dropped out and had no hope of returning to school. Those in Primary school had no hope or even imaginations of ever attending high school. Most of the girls were in the process of arranged early marriages. PLI has brought hope to these youngsters, returning them to school and providing them with funds needed for their education and now, instead of getting married at puberty, they are extremely happy to pursue their education for a bright future. The future of the Maasai people and Tanzania will depend upon the education given to their children. To learn more about how you can help a Tanzanian girl, please see the Sponsor a Maasai girl page. Thank you for working with us in Tanzania ~ TheRe iS HoPe!

Precious Life Medical Care in Tanzania:
Each year, PLI has organized short-medical groups to visit this area and provide free medical help to hundreds of people in Monduli. Healthcare is a huge need to the people of this area and especially if they have to walk for miles to the nearest clinic. Most people find themselves unable to travel great distances when they are sick and weak. They have no choice but to stay in their villages and wait for a miracle. Precious Life works in nearby facilities such as classrooms, churches or social halls to give medical access to everyone in need. In conjunction with the community of the Monduli people and the Tanzanian government, PLI has established a location for a permanent clinic that will reach more than 3,000 people and 5 schools with each school containing about 300 students. Please see medical mission for more information. Thank you for working with us for a healthy nation of Tanzania ~ TheRe iS HoPe!

Tanzania in brief:
Tanzania is the largest country in East Africa located on the Indian Ocean. It is considered the world's 31st-largest country. It is half the state of Alaska. To the north are Kenya and Uganda; to the west, Rwanda, Burundi and The United Republic of Congo also known as Zaire. To the south are Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia. The Indian Ocean is to the east.

Africa's best-known lakes are found in Tanzania such as Lake Victoria in the north. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. This lake also unites the three East African countries: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Lake Tanganyika, the deepest lake in Africa, is also found in Tanzania. Nyasa, also known as Lake Malawi or Lake Nyassa or Lake Niassa in the south, borders with Malawi. Other unique lakes in the country are Manyara, L. Rukwa and L. Natron.

Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, is located in Tanzania close to Kenya's border. This country also contains many of the world's largest wildlife parks such as the famous Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park, Manyara National Park, Gombe and Mikumi.

The Tanzanian Government:
President: Jakaya Kikwete (2005)
Prime Minister: Edward Lowassa (2005)

State Capitol: Dodoma

Dar es Salaam remains the largest city in Tanzania and this is where the State House (White House) is located.

Land Area: 342,100 sq mi
                   886,039 sq km

Total area: 364,900 sq mi
                  945,087 sq km
Population (2006 est.): 37,446,392
Growth rate: 1.8%
Life expectancy: 45 years
Motto, Uhuru na Umoja "Freedom and Unity"

Initially, Tanzania was known as Tanganyika, its mainland part, but in 1964, Tanganyika and the Zanzibar Island united forming the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar and later the name was changed to United Republic of Tanzania. To this day, Tanzania and the Island of Zanzibar are considered as one country. Zanzibar is the collective name of two islands, Unguja and Pemba. The population of this island was 988,174 in the 2003 census. Its area is 637 mi (1,651kmsq).

Tanzania was a German colony from the 1880's until 1919 under the treaty of Versailles. World War I put an end to all German experiments. Blockaded by the British Navy, the country could neither export produce nor get help from Germany. The British advance into German territory continued steadily from 1916 until the country was fully occupied. The country subsequently became a British mandate until its independence in 1961, with Julius Nyerere as its first prime minister.