CEP staff lead a group on a tour of a field in a Morogoro project village

Like most Tanzanians living in rural areas, an estimated 85% of the 263,000 residents of Morogoro District are engaged in subsistence agriculture, farming crops such as maize, beans, bananas, potatoes, yams, coffee, and cardamom on the slopes of the Ulunguru and Nguu mountains and raising crops such as maize, cassava, sorghum, sweet potatoes, cotton, sisal, and sunflowers in the fertile soil of the District's eastern and southern uplands. Despite its proximity to Dar es Salaam - the undisputed economic and social "heart" of the country - Morogoro remains at a developmental disadvantage, suffering from a lack of infrastructure and food security.

Beginning in late 2005, TCRS has sought to address the main developmental issues affecting the District through its Morogoro Community Empowerment Programme (Morogoro CEP). Now active in 22 of the District's most disadvantaged villages - Bwila Chini, Bwila Juu, Changa, Chanyumbu, Dala, Kibangile, Kibuko, Kibulumo, Kibwaya, Kidunda, Kiganila, Kiswira, Luhole, Lundi, Magogoni, Mfumbwe, Msonge, Mtamba, Tambuu, Tulo, and Usungura, - the Morogoro CEP is currently working directly with 5,500 marginalized beneficiaries as well as government officials from all 22 villages and is also indirectly reaching an estimated 55,000 people living in the District.

Activities in Morogoro District are varied. 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. To this end, specific projects that have seen substantial success in Morogoro include savings & credit schemes such as the Village Community Bank (VICOBA) & SACCOS and community-led efforts to reduce the incidence of water-borne diseases by advocating for stricter rules and regulations regarding trespassing in areas around water sources. Moreover, the Morogoro CEP 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.