About Tanzania

Geography: Tanzania is a country of unparalleled natural beauty and boasts one of the largest wildlife populations in the world. It has Africa’s highest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro; Africa’s largest lake, Lake Victoria and Africa’s deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika. There are 12 national parks in Tanzania: two of which are the ecologically significant Ngoronogoro Crater and Serengeti National Park.

History/Politics: While most African countries have been suffering through civil wars and revolutions, Tanzania has had a stable democracy since its independence in 1961. When Julius Nyere stepped down in 1985, Tanzania’s socialist experiment ended. Although Tanzania remains a developing country, foreign investment and privatization promise to spur the growth of the economy. All of these factors caused former President Clinton to name Tanzania the “Switzerland of Africa”.

AIDS in Africa: Half of Africa’s population is no more than 15 years old: the U.N. refers to Africa as “the continent of orphans”. Tanzania is plagued by AIDS and is one of five countries with the highest rate of AIDS in the world. Tanzania is faced with a death rate that is growing exponentially, leaving millions of children without families. These children are the living casualties of the AIDS epidemic. With neither parents nor homes, they are left to a life on the streets. Begging, searching through garbage and fighting for a scrap of food is their only means of survival.