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December 9, 2011

Tanzania Celebrates 50 Years of Independence

-Miaka 501 300x262 Tanzania Celebrates 50 Years of Independence

Tanzanians are proudly celebrating 50 years of independence today.

After several decades, Tanganyika gained its independence from Britain to become The United Republic of Tanzania. Julius Nyerere, known as Baba wa Taifa (Father of the Nation), was influential in uniting much of the country by advocating for peaceful change, social equality and racial harmony. With the help of his efforts, Tanganyika became a republic on December 9, 1961.  In 1964, Zanzibar followed and the two nations unified to form the United Republic of Tanzania with Nyerere as its first president.

A host of independence day celebrations are planned throughout the country including a weekend-long festival and a grand celebration at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Another celebration, The Kilimanjaro Uhuru Climb, kicked off several days ago when 200 climbers, dispersed across four different routes on Kilimanjaro, began their ascent carrying the Uhuru Torch. The climbers converge at the summit today where they will reenact a  symbolic torch lighting from 50 years ago.



Posted at 12:18 am in Kilimanjaro,Safari | Permalink | 1 Comment

December 7, 2011

FoTZC Completes Kitchen at Robanda Primary School

before after FoTZC Completes Kitchen at Robanda Primary School

Focus on Tanzanian Communities (FoTZC), our non-profit arm specializing in community-based projects, recently completed the construction of a kitchen with high-efficiency stoves at Robanda Primary School, which is located just outside Serengeti National Park.

quote FoTZC Completes Kitchen at Robanda Primary School

Prior to the stove installation, the kitchen staff had to rely on the inefficiency of cooking on an open fire as well as depending on the students to supply bundles of firewood each week.

Yohana Makongo, headmaster at Robanda Primary, told our staff that "thanks to Focus on Tanzanian Communities, the kitchen has been completed and it is wonderful. Our students, teachers, and staff are very excited about using this facility as it will help us very much. Giving students nutritious meals is so critical for learning."

The benefits of the new kitchen and the stoves are three-fold: food preparation is more efficient, the children can focus on their studies instead of gathering wood and the amount of wood culled from the surrounding area is decreased.

Click thumbnails for larger image

- Fotcz newsletterthumb 11 FoTZC Completes Kitchen at Robanda Primary School-

Read about this and more in The Focus, the annual FoTZC newsletter, due to arrive in supporter’s mailboxes this week. Find out how you can become of FoTZC supporter or donate online.



Posted at 7:52 pm in Safari | Permalink | 2 Comments