Halfway to Tanzania

It is already February, the year is flying by and I know that Tanzania will be here in a flash. Recently I have fundraised by a super bowl football pool, collecting Christmas trees to take to the dump and house work which has about brought me to my half way point for fundraising. Tanzania is still a developing country but has been a prosperous one for many years. For this blog I have some done some research and learned a lot about Tanzania’s past, present and what the future holds for them. The past and present demonstrate what type of country Tanzania is (united and prosperous) and the future of Tanzania if successful will lead their country out of poverty and into a spot of global power.

Tanzania was a major hub for the Arabian Slave Trade and over 75% of the population in Zanzibar (known as Tanzania now) was enslaved. Tanzania was first colonized by Germany in the late 1800s. A major development from the German Colonization was the Maji Maji rebellion which was against German colonial rule and how the indigenous had to work and grow cotton for them. Later Tanzania became a colony of Britain as Germany was forced to give up to territory. British colonization still plays a role in Tanzania as English is the second most spoken language to Kiswahili And Christianity is still prevalent. In 1961 Zanzibar was liberated of British control and in 1964 Zanzibar and Tanganyika merged together to form the Republic of Tanzania with their first president Julius Nyerere. In 1992 Tanzania created a Constitution and became a democracy ending a 31 year Marxist dictatorship.

    Tanzania at the moment is with its 5th president John Magufuli and is a unitary presidential democratic republic, which the president of the country serving as the nation's head of both state and government Tanzania’s motto is “Freedom and Unity” and it seems to portray Tanzania well as the people are happy and united. Unitement of the Tanzanian people has lead it to a strong country and they have never had a civil war and does not seem to be in the game for one anytime soon. Wildlife, especially Elephants, attracts many tourists and Tanzania is the only country in the world with 25% of its total land dedicated to wildlife parks and conservation area. The tallest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro also attracts thousands of climbers each year to Tanzania. The Economy depends on agriculture and is 69%  rural. Some products cultivated in Tanzania and sold are coffee, sugar, cotton, beans, corn, cassava, and rice. Other major products sold from Tanzania are diamonds and gold which have been and will continue to be precious metals in the economy. The majority of Tanzania is living in poverty, around 70% of the population only makes two dollars a day and us below the poverty line. Majority of those living in poverty are rural farmers and have little education. Tanzania has been reducing the poverty rates mostly in Urban areas therefore the people in rural settings are still struggling. In Tanzania 20-30% of kids in 6th grade could not read at a second grade level proving that a good education is not being provided. Teachers are absent 25% of the time and when they are there on average only 20% of the class show up. This is a serious issue as well as opportunity for the people of Tanzania. Having a poor education system is an issue however it is an easy one to fix as many kids love to go to school!

    The population of Tanzania will be booming in a few years. As Tanzania continues to develop and advance in technology people will live longer as the average life span in Tanzania is 62 years old. Tanzania is a country full of united people working hard to innovate the country and work its way to a global power. Increase in technology and an industrialized economy will provide jobs for many which will help the people of Tanzania rise above poverty. Should the rural poor continue to be more active as they have been for the last few years the poverty rates will decrease even more especially in rural areas. However, the big answer is education, should Tanzania create a more rigid and defined structure for their education system that would help a lot. Education would provide children in Tanzania the opportunity to rise out of poverty and to bring their family with them. Education is a key piece of the puzzle for Tanzania rising out of poverty.