Where we work

 We work in the region of Singida in the Northern centre of Tanzania. The region of Singida is one of the poorest in the country. Its population at the 2002 Census stood at 1,090,758 people, of which 559,743 were female. 46% of the female population is between 0-14 years of age.

The region comprises of 4 districts: Singida Urban, Singida Rural, Iramba and Manyoni. Our partners currently operate in the Ilongero and Kinyeto wards of Singida Rural.

The area is semi-desert and suffers from poor rainfall. Nevertheless, 86.3% of the Singida Rural community are employed in the agriculture sector. An additional 4.1% earn their living by keeping livestock. Due to extensive clearing of the land to make way for agricultural activities, precious topsoil is often lost when the rains do come. Thus the need to diversify outside of farming activities is obvious.

Within the district, electricity is largely inaccessible with only 0.4% of population using it as a main source of energy for lighting. Charcoal and firewood are used as the primary source of energy. In addition, only 39.4% of the community have access to piped, protected wells as a source of drinking water. 12% of the population have no access to toilet facilities.

Literacy rates among men and women of the district are 68%and 59% respectively. There is a single high school in each ward to support the students of the surrounding villages. While official statistics state 70% of children of school age are enrolled, attendance rates do not reflect this.

Transport from the villages, in which our partners work, to Singida town is limited to public buses that pass the major village of each of the wards. Buses run twice daily between Ilongero and Singida town (26kms) however a single bus runs daily between Kinyeto and Singida town (16km). During the rainy season, the unsurfaced roads become impassable and the service is cancelled.

Resource information: 2002 Population and Housing Census data and Singida - Regional and District Projections Volume XII - Dec 2006 Published on the National Bureau of Statistics, Tanzania website. http://www.nbs.go.tz