TCRS assists a Burundian refugee with the repatriation process.

When the Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service first opened its doors in 1964, its primary mission was to provide emergency relief to the refugees who had been forced across the border by widespread violence and political instability in their hometowns and countries. Thanks in large part to the efforts of TCRS, these refugee populations became increasingly self-reliant throughout the 1970s and 1980s, allowing TCRS to gradually diminish its presence in the refugee settlements. Through its work in those settlements, TCRS had became increasingly aware of the visible needs present in the Tanzanian communities surrounding the settlements, so when the ebb in demand for refugee activities opened the door for organizational expansion, the direction was clear: TCRS would begin promoting development initiatives in local communities.

TCRS conducts a training for farmers in Kibondo

Today, this tradition of providing refugee relief and encouraging sustainable development continues, with TCRS maintaining an active and instrumental presence in western Tanzania's refugee camps and settlements and among populations of urban refugees, and through the Community Empowerment Programmes that TCRS has founded in seven of Tanzania's most disadvantaged districts.