Since peacefully gaining independence from Britain in 1961 and by successfully maintaining that peace and stability, Tanzania has become an important haven for refugees fleeing civil unrest and wars in neighboring countries. Formed just three years after independence in 1964, the Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service (TCRS) was established in order to provide emergency relief and humanitarian services to refugees and asylum-seekers. Operating first as the Tanzanian country programme of the Lutheran World Federation's Department of World Service (LWF/DWS) and then (beginning in 2006) as an autonomous organization and LWF/DWS affiliate programme, TCRS has gained a reputation as a unique organization - indeed, virtually an "institution" rather than a NGO - which commands considerable respect in Tanzania and beyond.

In recent years, a combination of economic reforms, foreign investment, and debt-relief have allowed Tanzania to become one of sub-Saharan Africa's fastest growing economies. Despite this encouraging economic growth, Tanzania remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with a UNDP Human Development Index ranking of 151 (out of 173 countries measured in 2002). Roughly 50% of all Tanzanians live in households officially classified as poor and more than 80% of the population depends on subsistence agriculture and small-scale cash crop farming, which are therefore constrained by topography, climatic conditions, and a lack of access to markets. As in many developing countries, the quality of health care, education, and basic infrastructure is poor and unevenly distributed, placing the individuals and families living in rural and remote areas at a significant development disadvantage.

Consequently, TCRS has extended its mandate to include development work, joining with disadvantaged local communities to empower and care for extremely vulnerable groups. Since inaugurating its first development projects in Kigoma and Singida Regions in 1984, TCRS has continued to improve and expand its approach to development, such that development work now occupies an equivalent status to refugee work in the overall TCRS program structure. At present, TCRS is implementing its unique Community Empowerment Programmes (CEPs) in marginalized communities in seven of Tanzania's poorest Districts, and is also promoting its disaster relief and preparedness programmes - which have become increasingly relevant amid the climatic changes affecting regions and communities around the country.

Since its inception, TCRS has assisted more than two million beneficiaries and has successfully implemented countless different projects in more than half of the regions in mainland Tanzania. Today, TCRS continues to provide relevant humanitarian support and sustainable development opportunities to an estimated 300,000 people annually, making TCRS and its subsidiary programmes some of the longest serving, largest, and most active NGO operations in the region.