The United Republic of Tanzania is one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies and is based heavily on agriculture, but with low agricultural productivity, almost half of its population lives below the poverty line. Since 2008, Global Communities has worked in Tanzania to improve health and nutrition, empower women as leaders and decision-makers, advance early childhood development and leverage technology innovations to create sustainable improvements in quality of life. Using community-focused approaches, we partner and collaborate with government, local communities and private sector partners to enable communities to empower themselves.
Given the country’s reliance on agriculture, Global Communities works with farmers to build capacity, utilize improved climate-smart techniques and increase their access to finance and markets. This boosts agricultural productivity, which in turn leads to increased incomes and more locally available nutritious foods.
Integrated Fleet Management System
In July of 2023, Global Communities created the Integrated Fleet Management System (IFMS) to optimize vehicle performance by improving passenger safety, reducing running costs, and lengthening vehicle life spans. The IFMS is a comprehensive collection of systems, tools, and procedures that guide fleet teams, the management of in-house repairs and maintenance, the execution of cashless refueling, the deployment of a GPC location tracking system and the utilization of a digital real-time data management system. The IFMS reduces fleet costs, enabling more resources to be contributed to the program activities at schools.
Recent Programs
Building Capacity for Sustainable, Locally Led School Feeding
From 2017-2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture funded Global Communities to implement a Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement program called Chakula Chetu ("Our Food” in Swahili). This program complemented our McGovern-Dole program in Tanzania and built the capacity of 16 schools in Mara Region’s Butiama District to procure locally purchased foods for school meals. We also fostered a network of stakeholders (government leadership, market actors, schools, parents, farmers and communities) to build sustainable capacity for a complete transition to locally led school feeding. Throughout the program, Global Communities built or rehabilitated 16 school kitchens and provided over 2.7 million meals to ensure more than 14,000 students were provided with nutritious food to help them focus at school. (closed in 2021)
Increasing Access to Finance and Bolstering Trade for Small- and Medium-Sized Agribusinesses
From 2015-2020, Global Communities implemented the Agribusiness Investment for Market Stimulation (AIMS) program to bolster trade in key agricultural sectors in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi by increasing access to financing, markets and capacity building for small- and medium-sized agribusinesses, including cooperatives and farmer-based organizations. AIMS was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and included a $50 million loan guarantee facility backed by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). As a result of a cross-border Business to Business forum, which brings buyers and sellers together, agribusinesses in Malawi and Tanzania reached trade deals valued at $280 million per year, which are automatically renewable if service level is satisfactory. Participants included 45 agribusinesses from different levels of the grains value chain and service providers such as banks, insurance providers, policymakers and transporters. (closed in 2020)
Engaging Fathers for Effective Child Nutrition and Development in Tanzania
In Tanzania’s Mara Region, undernutrition and inadequate stimulation are significant risk factors for poor early child growth and development outcomes. To address these needs, Global Communities (formerly PCI) and research partners — Harvard University, Purdue University and the Africa Academy of Public Health — developed an integrated nutrition and parenting implementation research study called Engaging Fathers for Effective Child Nutrition and Development in Tanzania (EFFECTS) to measure the effectiveness on child nutrition and development outcomes of bundled behavior change messages and activities that strengthen the capacity of mothers and fathers in providing optimal care for young children, including nutrition, responsive care, stimulation, and clean and safe home environments. This study, funded by the Eleanor Crook Foundation and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, includes comprehensive and innovative metrics to track processes and document pathways from inputs to outcomes to understand best practices and key ingredients for effective male engagement and integration of nutrition and parenting interventions. This study concluded in February 2021 and results will be shared later this year.
Our Work in Tanzania
Global Health
Combating Disease, Improving Nutrition, and Ensuring Healthy Mothers, Children and Adolescents
Resources
Briefs & Case Studies
Integrated Fleet Management System
Global Communities (GC) created and is utilizing an Integrated Fleet Management System (IFMS)which optimizes fleet performance by focusing on improving users’ experience while maximizingcost- effectiveness. Empowering and equipping the Fleet Team to achieve excellence, the IFMS is acomprehensive collection of systems, tools, and procedures that guide the supervision of the fleetteam, the management of in-house…
Capacity Materials
Women Empowered: Championing Innovative Approaches to Savings Group Programming
Global Communities’ Women Empowered (WE) initiative is a global savings group program designed to promote financial inclusion and the social, economic, and political empowerment of women. In WE groups, 15-25 members come together to save money, access credit, learn together, and invest in income-generating activities. Developed in 2008 and refined over the past 15 years,…
Capacity Materials
Advancing Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN)
Global Communities has worked to save mothers’ and children’s lives and improve their health and well-being since 1961. We implement integrated maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition (MNCHN) programs at the individual, family, community and institutional levels. On the supply side, we partner with governments, civil society, and frontline health workers to strengthen health systems,…
Research & Publications
Digitizing Savings Groups: Evidence from Tanzania
Understanding the impact of digital ledgers on women’s savings groups (Sept. 2020) Digital financial services reach men and women where they live, work and play—bringing banking services to customers and leaping over the last mile problem, the challenges in delivery of goods and services to the end of the supply. However, for many low-income people,…
Capacity Materials
McGovern-Dole Integrated School Feeding WASH Overview
Capacity Materials
Integrated School Feeding
Global Communities’ integrated school feeding approach focuses on mobilizing and strengthening the capacities of local communities and governments to gradually transition to locally owned school meal programs beyond project assistance. Over almost two decades of implementing McGovern-Dole and LRP programs, PCI and Global Communities have refined its tools and approaches to achieve lasting impact of…
NEWS
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Menstrual Health Is Everyone’s Responsibility — A Global Perspective on Girls’ Education
By Leonel Arguello, Director, Integrated School Feeding Programs, Global Communities Six years ago, I had the opportunity to visit primary schools in rural Tanzania where …
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Five Reasons Why School Meals Matter
School meals are more than just a plate of food; they are the cornerstone of nurturing the next generation in places around the world where …
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Promoting Bilingual Education in Multicultural Societies to Enhance Student Literacy
By Leonel Arguello, Director of Integrated School Feeding Programs As a Nicaraguan, I grew up in a multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual country with a large …
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Igniting Children’s Potential, One Bite at a Time: Reflections from the International Food Aid Showcase
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs Last month, Global Communities participated in the 2024 International Food Aid Showcase at the United States Department …
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