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Climate change is felt severely in Tanzania. Mt. Kilimanjaro’s glacial ice cap has been slowly melting for decades with only 20% remaining. Tanzania’s dry climate means that much of the melted ice simply evaporates into the atmosphere.

Streams and rivers from Mt. Kilimanjaro and the nearby South Pare Mountains flow into the Pangani River, which flows to the Indian Ocean. According to IUCN, an estimated three million people derive their livelihood from the Pangani River Basin, primarily from agriculture and fisheries. These livelihoods are at risk due to environmental damage and climate change.

Plant With Purpose in Tanzania

Since 2004, Plant With Purpose has partnered with farmers in Tanzania, the majority of whom are women, many widows and single mothers. In Tanzania, women and children are among the poorest of the poor. Almost all women in Tanzania earn their income through agriculture, but they do not have the same access to training and resources as male farmers and, as a result, produce 20-30% less food.

Pangani River Basin

The Pangani River Basin is one of the most strategic environmental locations in the world. Located on the perimeter of the Eastern Arc Mountains (part of the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot), this region is home to countless plant, bird, reptile, and mammal species, many found nowhere else in the world.

Also home to this basin, millions of people who rely on this land for food and income. Plant With Purpose is strategically working in watersheds within this important basin.

Through Plant With Purpose's sustainable agriculture training, partnering farmers in the Pangani River Basin are doubling their crop production. Participants are also restoring this critical ecosystem by planting more than a million trees a year. At the same time, communities are growing in their care for creation and love for their neighbors through a curriculum titled “Redemptive Agriculture.”

Expand the Work in Tanzania

Key Stats

6
Program Watersheds
533
Savings Groups
12,837
Participating Families
61,618
People
317
Church Partnerships
17,739,068
Trees Planted
Download the Program Fact Sheet

Meet Some of Our Partners from Tanzania

Select an image to learn more.

Haika Plants About 150 Trees Each Year

Haika Plants About 150 Trees Each Year

“I believe that planting trees and taking care of the land is the best method of sustainable development and restoring the environment to its original condition at both a personal and country-wide level. If you had visited our area before, you would notice the environment was losing its quality as people randomly cut down trees, our water sources were depleted during the summer, there were bare lands with no trees and low soil fertility. Now, my community’s relationship with the environment has changed enormously as a result of Plant With Purpose’s activities. I personally plant about 150 trees annually around my farm area and as a group we plant about 1,800 to 2,500 trees annually in different areas including around water sources, institutions, and other areas in our village. This has been impactful to my life and community because through planting trees, we experience changes of water availability in our village and improved weather conditions.”

Kanael’s Strength for her Children

Kanael’s Strength for her Children

After being widowed, Kanael could have despaired, but instead she hoped in God and believed she could raise her three children on her own. “I knew, despite the fact that I’m a widow, I have to work hard to get money to take my children to school and construct a modern house. My children had dreams to achieve in life, and I have always wanted to see them growing and have a good life.” After some women in her community invited her to learn more about Purpose Groups, Kanael decided to join. Kanael was able to save money from a small business selling bananas in the marketplace. Over time and with the help of several loans, Kanael expanded her banana business, built a modern house, and began raising chickens, pigs, and a cow. Her relationship with her children, her neighbors, and her community continue to grow as she works hard to provide the life she wants to see for her children.

Narinda, “I learned that you don’t have to be rich to help those in need—we can all practice acts of mercy.”

Narinda, “I learned that you don’t have to be rich to help those in need—we can all practice acts of mercy.”

“We invested so much into agriculture, but the returns were low. Our environment was not as provident and beautiful as it is now, and I didn’t even feel the need to have a constant supply of water at home. As a mother, having hungry children was so devastating that I decided it was time I do something about it. I started seeing my neighbors’ lives changing for the better. I decided to ask them what they do to afford their daily meals and improve their agricultural yields. They told me about Plant With Purpose and how it impacted their lives. This was eight years ago when I first joined a Purpose Group.” Today, “My life has improved so much, and I couldn’t have done it without their support. I have achieved most of my dreams today, and now have the courage to stand and testify about my life as a proud ambassador of Plant With Purpose.”

Frequently Asked Questions

In 2004, we started working in Tanzania specifically in the Kilimanjaro region. Mt. Kilimanjaro is a key biodiversity and environmental spot in Africa, home to different groups of people that all depend on the health of the environment for their survival and most especially the rural farming families on the lower slopes of the mountain. We later expanded into watersheds at the top the South Pare mountains. The forests at the top of these mountains are important ecological areas and impact the lives of thousands of families. We plan additional expansion in the Pangani River Basin, which flows from Mt. Kilimanjaro to the Indian Ocean.
We are one of many organizations working together with the government of Tanzania and local authorities to protect and restore the forests near the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the South Pare mountains. Planting local species of trees in strategic locations has resulted in not only the increase of biodiversity but also renewing natural water sources that had previously dried up.
The Tanzanian government may be more stable compared to their neighboring countries, but the country as a whole is still quite under resourced versus the needs around this critical environmental region.
READ MORE FAQs

Our Global Impact

Thailand

  • 63 Purpose Groups
  • 3,545 People Served
  • 69 Church Partnerships
  • 2,803,997 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Thailand

    Tanzania

  • 533 Purpose Groups
  • 61,618 People Served
  • 317 Church Partnerships
  • 17,739,068 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Tanzania

    Mexico

  • 304 Purpose Groups
  • 17,777 People Served
  • 104 Church Partnerships
  • 1,191,044 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Mexico

    Haiti

  • 605 Purpose Groups
  • 84,336 People Served
  • 127 Church Partnerships
  • 6,433,828 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Haiti

    Ethiopia

  • 485 Purpose Groups
  • 47,920 People Served
  • 92 Church Partnerships
  • 2,940,590 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Ethiopia

    Dominican Republic

  • 338 Purpose Groups
  • 39,590 People Served
  • 178 Church Partnerships
  • 18,651,102 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Dominican Republic

    Democratic Republic of the Congo

  • 369 Purpose Groups
  • 89,384 People Served
  • 127 Church Partnerships
  • 4,371,540 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in the DRC

    Burundi

  • 816 Purpose Groups
  • 115,999 People Served
  • 184 Church Partnerships
  • 8,615,842 Trees Planted
  • More about our work in Burundi

    USA

    Our Global Headquarters:
    4747 Morena Blvd., Suite 100,
    San Diego, CA 92117

    858.274.3718
    [email protected]

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