In 2008, we traveled to meet with the community development outreach arm (TAKARE) of The Jane Goodall Institute in Kigoma, Tanzania in order to meet with community groups and explore possibilities of development projects.
Tanzania is located on the east coast of the African continent. Africa is the poorest continent in the world. The U.N. counts Tanzania as one of the ten least developed countries in Africa.
General facts about Tanzania
- Tanzania had a population of 38 million people in 2002.
- Life expectancy at birth is 43 years of age
- Median age of population is 17 years
- Only 4% of the people are over 60 years of age
- 31% of children under the age of 5 are malnourished
- 1/16 children die before they reach 5 years of age
Income
- One of the least developed nations in the world, ranked 154 of 174 nations by the UN in development
- 64% of the population is rural
- 70% of the population lives on less than $2/day, mostly in rural areas
- The average income is $350 year (World Bank 2006)
Health
- 64% of HIV infections are in Sub-Sahara Africa where only 11% of the world population live
- Tanzania is rated among the top 10 for highest infection rate with almost 5% of the population infected.
- Tanzania has the second highest orphan rate due to HIV infection
- Over 40% rural population is still without access to an improved water source (Globalis)
- 28% of children under 5 yrs are protein deficient
- 32% children under 5 suffer from anemia.
- Protein deficiency is prevalent
Over 16 million people are undernourished generally (over 40%)
