TCRS's relationship with Kibondo, an extremely rural District in western Tanzania, reaches back to 1986, when the District was included in our integrated rural development project (IDRP). Due to both its remote location and the long-term presence of large populations of Burundian refugees, Kibondo continues to be a particularly disadvantaged and under-developed area. Consequently, TCRS's presence in the District has been uninterrupted for more than two decades - first through the IDRP, later through the combined efforts of the TCRS Empowerment Project (later to become the Kibondo Community Empowerment Programme) and the Kibondo Refugee Project, and currently through the Kibondo Field Project (KFP) - a project that implements both refugee relief services and sustainable development activities.

Active in a total of 25 villages in the District - Churazo, Itumbiko, Kanyinya, Kanyonza, Kibingo, Kibuye, Kichananga, Kiduduye, Kiga, Kigendeka, Kigogo, Kiyobera, Kumbanga, Kumsenga, Kumshwabure, Malenga, Minyinya, Mukabuye, Nyabibuye, Nyagwijima, Nyamtukuza, Nyange, Rumashi, and Rusohoko - the Kibondo CEP (now KFP) is working with 5,000 direct and more than 77,500 indirect beneficiaries in the area.

Activities in Kibondo 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 Kibondo include various self-help groups, tree nurseries, agro-forestry, and beekeeping. Moreover, the Kibondo 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.