Tanzania Facts

Jambo! That’s “hello” in Swahili, one of the official languages in Tanzania. This country in Africa is a beloved nation that features the Serengeti National Park and a world-renowned number of animal species. Learn more Tanzania facts here.

five Facts About Tanzania

Here are five fun facts about Tanzania:

  1. Tanzania is home to Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain peak.
  2. The Serengeti National Park hosts the incredible wildebeest migration.
  3. Ngorongoro Crater is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, full of diverse wildlife like elephants, black rhinos and lions.
  4. Zanzibar, an island near mainland Tanzania, is known for its stunning beaches and vibrant coral reefs.
  5. Tanzania is home to many indigenous tribes, such as the Maasai people, who have rich cultures and traditions.

Where is Tanzania?

Tanzania is a country in East Africa. It’s located just south of the equator and borders the Indian Ocean. It also shares borders with Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.

Key Challenges in Tanzania & Our Response

Tanzania is a beautiful country that many tourists visit each year, but it’s also home to millions of children living in devastating poverty. People in impoverished communities face many challenges that Compassion is working to fight.

Lack of Prenatal and Medical Care Hurts Children

According to recent data, Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest infant mortality rate: 27 deaths per 1,000 live births. Many of the reasons behind these deaths can be linked directly to poverty.

For example, many moms in impoverished communities can’t afford or even find the prenatal care they need for healthy pregnancies and births. And when children are born, the same lack of quality medical care puts them at risk of preventable disease and malnutrition. These can hurt children’s growth and have lifelong consequences.

Our Response: Programs That Help Moms & Babies Thrive

Compassion partners with local churches in impoverished communities to provide Survival programs. These programs offer critical care like prenatal vitamins, food packs and medical checkups for pregnant moms. They also cover the cost of delivery and ensure a birth attendant is present to care for the mom during childbirth.

When the little ones are born, mom and baby continue receiving medical care, training and support until the baby’s first birthday. Then, the child can join our child sponsorship program, where they continue receiving care that sets the foundation for bright and healthy futures.

Child Marriage Places Young Girls at Serious Risk

Child marriage is when one or both spouses are under the age of 18. According to recent data, 29% of girls in Tanzania are married before they turn 18. And 5% of girls are married before they even turn 15. Child marriage prevents girls from going to school and reaching their potential. And in some cases, it places them at risk of abuse and violence.

Unfortunately, child marriage is made more common by poverty. When families are trapped in poverty, they’re unable to afford necessities like food and even shelter. However, in Tanzania and other African countries, a husband will pay a price to marry a bride.

Because of this, some parents see having a child married as the only way they can feed and shelter their families.

Our Response: Protecting Vulnerable Girls From Harm

At Compassion, we provide girls registered in our program with the essentials they need to thrive, from malnutrition monitoring to medical care and education support. This lessens the burden on a child’s family, removing the desperation that can lead to child marriage.

Instead, girls are welcomed into safe communities at their local churches, where our staff and volunteers are trained in child protection and know how to intervene in cases of abuse. With safe adults who advocate for them, girls are protected from child marriage and offered opportunities to grow into their God-given potential.

Two young boys smile for the camera while one waves.

Caption: Photo by: Eric D. Lema

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An older woman stands among lush green trees while smiling.

Caption: Photo by: Eric D. Lema.

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A group of children sit at desks while writing.

Caption: Photo by: Eric D. Lema

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A woman milks a brown and white cow using a bright pink bucket.

Caption: Photo by: Eric D. Lema

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Our Impact in Tanzania

Compassion International has served the country of Tanzania for well over two decades. Over the years, we’ve witnessed so many lives transformed through child sponsorship.

114,356

children served (and counting).

591

churches served.

24

years serving.

A Once-Impoverished Welder Inspires His Students

Growing up in Tanzania, Emmanuel struggled to have enough food or attend school. But through the local church, he received these essentials and more, enabling him to become a professional welder and teacher.

See Story
Children Thrive With Clean Water & Hygiene Education

In a small Tanzanian community, children were often sickened after drinking dirty, contaminated water. But a new borehole, flushing toilets and hygiene training changed everything for these little ones.

See Story

How You Can Help Vulnerable Children in Tanzania

You can join Compassion’s fight against child poverty in Tanzania in three key ways:

  • Pray: Jeremiah 33:3 tells us that if we call on God, he will answer us. When we lift children living in poverty up in prayer, God hears us, and we can trust he's working on their behalf. Join us in praying daily for children living in poverty by becoming a prayer partner.
  • Donate: Children living in poverty face many challenges, from a lack of medical care to dangerous living conditions. You can provide immediate support by donating to fulfill a right-now need.
  • Sponsor a Child: By sponsoring a child, you empower a local church to meet the critical needs of a child's body, mind and spirit as they journey out of poverty. Through sponsorship, you'll help deliver medical care, hygiene training, education, malnutrition monitoring and so much more to a child in need. But most importantly, you'll help introduce them to the hope of the gospel, which changes everything.
Sponsor a Child in Tanzania