Tanzania Project Preview

by Roshen Sethna

Students from Duke University, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Ohio State University will travel to Tanzania this summer to work on Duke's very first summer project.

The project will take place from July 14 to August 7 and will focus on education, training, and jump-starting small hunger-prevention projects in the Tanga region of Tanzania.

The first week will be spent in the Tanga municipality with students constructing chicken coops as well as a cow pen for an entire village. The chicks and a cow will be provided along with education about caring for the animals. The eggs and milk produced from this enterprise will be sold to hotels on the beach resorts for profit.

During the second week, students will work in the fishing communities in the Pangani district along the Indian Ocean assisting fisherman with net repairs.

For the last week, students will travel to the Usambara Mountains to work on extending Heifer International's fish pond project. Several weekend excursions will also be provided, including beach camping, a trip to an animal preserve, and a cave tour.

Partner organizations include the Tanga Municipality Council, the Catholic Church of Chumbageni, the Lutheran Church of Tanzania, and Heifer International as well as local governments. The Duke team is extremely excited about its first project. Special thanks go out to Rachel Northeim and Boni Mwapule for planning the trip.