A Village Animator for the Kigoma CEP checks in on the health of goats that were distributed to area beneficiaries

Kigoma, located in the southwestern corner of Tanzania and another long-term host of refugee populations like its neighboring Districts to the north, is home to more than 575,000 people - some 75% of whom depend on subsistence agriculture to support themselves and their families. Due to a combination of factors - including very small farm sizes and lack of farming knowledge - many of the families living in the District cannot afford two meals a day and in most cases, the food they are able to afford is low in both quantity and nutritional value. Consequently, the prevalence of malnutrition in children under the age of 5 stands at 8% - a marked increase above the national average of 3%.

In the eyes of TCRS, marginalization can take many forms - it is not limited merely to the economic sphere. As in the case of Kigoma District, the forces of marginalization are also at work wherever people do not enjoy access to basic human rights such as food, shelter, education, and health or to social and political rights such as good governance, freedom from discrimination, and mutual respect among community members. In seeking to address these issues, TCRS began a partnership with Concern Worldwide that ultimately led to the creation of the Kigoma Community Empowerment Programme & Food Security Project (Kigoma CEP-FS).

Active in 17 of the District's most disadvantaged villages - Kagongo, Kalalangabo, Kalenge, Kandaga, Kaseke, Kasuku, Kazuramimba, Kidawhe, Kigalve, Matendo, Mgaraganza, Mlela, Mtanga, Nyamori, Nyanganga, Pamila, and Simbo - the Kigoma CEP-FS is currently working directly with 4,250 marginalized beneficiaries and 425 village government officials and is also indirectly reaching an estimated 127,500 people living in the District.

On one level, activities in Kigoma District are similar to TCRS's other CEP initiatives. Village leaders enrolled in the leadership component of the CEP curriculum participate in study exchange visits and are trained on a number of topics, including leadership & management skills, public expenditure tracking, human rights & democracy, gender issues, HIV/AIDS awareness, and community based disaster preparedness (CBDP). At the same time, activities targeting marginalized beneficiaries include coordinating literacy courses, facilitating the formation of income generating activities (with a special emphasis on women's groups), creating awareness about gender equity, HIV/AIDS, CBDP, & environmental issues, and promoting improved agriculture and livestock production.

However, the Kigoma CEP-FS is unique among TCRS's programs for its added emphasis on food security. TCRS and Concern are united in their conviction that Kigoma residents can and should enjoy the same right to food that is taken for granted by so much of the world's population. To this end, the project is working closely with communities in Kigoma to increase their ability to track and influence relevant national policies and to train local farmers on disaster management and household budgeting. Additionally, the project is working hand-in-hand with area farmers to educate them on issues such as improved farming & storage techniques, use of compost & farm yard manure, and land rights. And of course, as with all of TCRS's programs, the Kigoma CEP-FS devotes a significant portion of its attention to raising the profile of vulnerable, marginalized, and displaced members of the community and to building civic awareness in order to encourage the active participation of community members in collective governance and policy development.