MTWARALINKSHelping families in southern Tanzania

FAMILIES IN NEED

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world and Mtwara – a small town near the border with Mozambique – is one of the poorest towns in Tanzania. Most of the population lives on about £1.00 a day. Ten to fifteen times more babies die there than in UK and this is almost entirely due to poor medical facilities and poor diet. Common causes of death and serious illness are malaria and diarrhoea .

FAMILIES MANAGE ON VERY LITTLE

• Rice

• Maize flour

• Beans

• Charcoal

• Soap

These are the basics that these families live on every day. Maize flour is mixed with water to make a stiff porridge called ugali.

Beans, boiled in water, provide protein.

Rice offers some variety from the maize flour.

YOUNG PEOPLE NEED A START IN LIFE

Ramadhani, on the left, lives with his brother Innocent (right) and the rest of his family in Kiangu, Mtwara. He goes to secondary school, but his mum couldn’t pay the fees nor buy the school uniform, so Mtwaralinks helped the family with a monthly grant for Ramadhani to go to school and his mum Sofia to buy food for the rest of the family.

WHAT MTWARALINKS DOES TO HELP

A small committee of volunteers lead by Mr Philibert Ngairo visits each family each month to find out what basic needs they have that month. A shopping list is drawn up which always leaves room for non-food essential items like uniform or exercise books, and then a visit to the market to buy the food is organised.

These families are nearly all single parent families and all have less than £40 a month to live on. Mtwaralinks offers them a lifeline each month until they can sand on their own feet.