Thanks to a generous gift from a private donor, we now have the funds to help build a cassava seed farm in Uvinza, Kigoma.

This project will clear, plant, and cultivate 40 acres of land for improved cassava seed production, forming the first stage of a four-year programme to develop a 107-acre farm.

Overseen by our local rep Benedicto Hostea, the initiative will help address the shortage of improved cassava seeds in Kigoma Region and support farmer training programmes run by Mboni ya Vijana. This aligns with government agricultural priorities. Benedicto, trained by TARI and certified by TOSCI, is among the few authorised seed producers in the region.

Traditional cassava varieties are often vulnerable to pests, disease, and poor weather, which can lead to food shortages and financial insecurity.

Improved cassava seeds are important because they give farmers a stronger, more reliable harvest. This means families have more food to eat and a surplus they can sell, improving both nutrition and income.

In regions where cassava is a staple crop, better seeds are not just about farming—they are about strengthening food security and resilience for entire communities.

Following on from a geological survey in December 2024, this month our committee approved funding for a borehole at Msimba Secondary School, which will share the supply with nearby Sokoine Primary School, ensuring both schools and the surrounding community have reliable access to clean, safe water.

The Headteacher has a strong environmental focus and students at the school are actively engaged in rabbit and chicken projects. However, until now water has been piped from a private school at high cost.

This borehole will supply both schools as well as the surrounding community, reducing their dependence on a costly private water supply and supporting school-led agricultural and environmental initiatives.

This application is led by Hope of the Community Foundation, one of our trusted partners founded by local rep Evelyn Leonard, who has also overseen a contract between the two schools, clearly defining responsibilities for repairs, roles, and cost-sharing.

We look forward to receiving updates about this two-for-one water project!

We are pleased to announce that we have approved funding for a second pig-rearing project run by TVMC (The Voice of Marginalised Community), an NGO based in Shinyanga. It follows a successful earlier initiative in December. The project targets single mothers, a group facing widespread poverty in the region, which restricts both economic development and children’s access to education.

Our grant will

• Provide single mothers with a sustainable source of income to cover household needs and educational expenses.

• Deliver training in pig keeping and husbandry, including veterinary supervision, disease prevention, and provision of initial feed.
• Encourage knowledge-sharing by passing on pigs and skills to other families.
• Promote positive parenting and child safeguarding awareness through dedicated training sessions for mothers and young family members.

Thank you to everyone who donated to make this – and so many other projects – possible

Project Officer Jonathan Pace and Local Representative Evelyn Kahembe have been overseeing our support for a fishing group in Mwamgongo, a village of approximately 15,000 people situated on the shores of Lake Tanganyika.

Thanks to boats and nets, the group has able to generate income that is then used for further profitable activities, such as purchasing a sewing machine and digging a farm.

We are pleased to have approved an extension to the project so the group can purchase new fishing nets and a larger boat to increase their catch.

Evelyn will shortly be visiting the group to ensure that they are meeting the required business and accounting conditions, after which we hope to release the funding to allow this group to grow even more

At Tanzania Development Trust, we believe our responsibility doesn’t end when a project is built. It means staying with communities to make sure the solutions remain practical and sustainable.

Eighteen months ago, we funded the drilling of a borehole at Munkwae, an extremely arid region. Unfortunately, the local electricity supply has still not been connected. The borehole was there—but the water could not be accessed. For the school and surrounding village, little had changed.

We have therefore funded the installation of a solar-powered pump at Munkwae. This ensures the borehole can be used now, not years from now. Clean water will finally flow to the school and the wider community, supporting sanitation, learning, and daily life in this dry region.

Sometimes sustainability means adapting when circumstances change. For Munkwae, it means that a long-awaited resource is no longer out of reach.

Mpugizi village is a remote community of 6,138 people facing an acute water crisis.

Residents, particularly women, make long, daily trips to fetch contaminated water from shallow, seasonal holes. During the dry season, these sources disappear, forcing people to walk over 10 km or pay high prices for water.

This situation has led to high rates of waterborne illnesses such as diarrhoea, typhoid, and stomach problems.

In April 2025, we funded a survey to investigate whether a borehole could be sunk, and this month we are pleased to announce that the results were positive and funding has been approved to build the water source.

By making it easier to access clean water, the residents of Mpugizi will be less at risk from disease and will start working their way out of income poverty, spending less time collecting water and more time on income generation.

The borehole will be implemented under the leadership of our local rep Hamza Rajabu, who has successfully delivered four previous borehole projects in this region. The pump will be solar-powered, and the community will own the land and infrastructure, including a water tank and pump house. A Community-Based Water Supply Organization will manage and maintain these facilities. The project is expected to have an immediate and substantial impact on the lives of all residents.

Until recently, pupils and staff at Tumaini and Mwenda primary schools in Kasulu, Tanzania, were walking up to three kilometres each day to collect water—time and energy that could have been spent in the classroom.

We’re pleased to share that this is no longer the case.

Thanks to the hard work of Mboni ya Vijana and funding support from Kwanda, new boreholes have now been completed at both schools. A total of 2,319 students and 32 staff now have regular access to clean water—on site, every day.

As Charles, the headteacher at Mwenda Primary School, put it:

“Water is all about life and success. Our school is going to be the best in the district because there’s no water problem anymore.”

The project involved surveying, drilling, pump construction, installation, and training for school staff. It wasn’t without challenges. Underground mud delayed work at Tumaini, and additional funds had to be sourced to complete the work at Mwenda. Demand also remains high—especially at Tumaini, where over 1,200 students rely on a single water outlet.

But despite the setbacks, the work is complete—and the impact is already clear. Evodia, a Standard 6 pupil at Tumaini, shared:

“I didn’t like coming to school because I had to carry water for the teachers. Now we have clean water from underground. I believe this will change the face of our school.”

We’re grateful to everyone involved in making this happen.

At Matumbulu Deaf Vocational Training Centre near Dodoma, 23 young students are gaining skills in welding, carpentry, sewing, gardening—and Tanzanian Sign Language (TSL). For many, this is their first exposure to formal education and structured sign language. Some arrive with only home signs or gestures. Others have never had the chance to communicate clearly at all.

Now, thanks to your support, the centre has received a laptop, a 65-inch TV screen, and Wi-Fi, with funds to cover data bundles. These tools are already transforming how students access Tanzanian Sign Language learning materials.

Instead of relying on hand-drawn flashcards—easily damaged and often unclear—students can now see high-quality videos and visual aids. These help bridge the gap between informal signs and the official TSL vocabulary. As one teacher explained, “Deaf people tend see the picture and use their local sign; the TSL teacher then has to teach them the official sign for that item.” The new equipment makes that process faster, clearer, and more effective.

And after a long day in the workshops, the screen also offers a rare opportunity for leisure—an accessible window into stories, news, and the wider world.

Matumbulu remains one of the few training centres in the country offering vocational and language training specifically for deaf students.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this small but significant improvement possible.

In 2024, the Tanzanian government expanded Ndikwa Girls’ Secondary School to accommodate 900 students—every one of them living on site. But while the school grew, the infrastructure did not. No provision was made for water.

With no reliable supply, students and staff relied on a distant village water source that often ran dry. It meant long hours spent searching for water instead of studying or teaching. It meant limited water for cooking, cleaning, or irrigation. In dry months, fish died in the school ponds. Crops withered in the school garden. Toilets couldn’t be cleaned. Girls suffered from water-borne illnesses. It wasn’t sustainable.

In September 2024, with support from Africa Palms, Tanzania Development Trust funded the drilling of a 130-metre borehole and the installation of water tanks and pipes throughout the campus.

Today, thanks to that project, Ndikwa’s students have safe, clean water in their dormitories, toilets and kitchen. Their time and energy is no longer spent fetching water. It’s spent learning, growing vegetables, and managing a thriving school fish pond. Builders constructing new classrooms now have water on-site. The school is stronger and more self-sufficient.

One Form 6 student, Eunice Mbilikila, told us:

“The water project has reduced wasteage of time for searching water. We are grateful for this wonderful project.”

Earlier this year, we helped Masuguru Secondary School begin turning a new dormitory into a safe space for girls. At the time, many were sleeping directly on the floor which was affecting their academic performance.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, they now have proper mattresses, bedding, and somewhere to store their belongings.

One of the students, Zayumba, sums up their feelings in the video message below!

Thank you to everyone who made this happen.