Poverty in Tanzania
MDG Goal 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
The poverty rate at $1.25 a day is the proportion of the population living on less than $1.25 a day, measured at 2005 international prices, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP).
According to UN Millennium Development Goals Indicators
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx
Population below $1 per day in Tanzania:
1992 - 72.6%
2000 - 84.6%
2007 - 67.9%
for comparison, Uganda was at 38% in 2009, India was at 32.7% in 2009
GNI per capita: less than or equal to US$530
Population, total (2010) 44,841,226
Rural population (2010) 33,003,142
Number of rural poor (2010) 12,343,175
At present about 38 percent of people living in rural areas are classified as poor.
statistics from the Rural Poverty Portal
http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/tanzania
All villagers we work with are subsistence farmers who have no reliable, consistent form of income.
The poverty rate at $1.25 a day is the proportion of the population living on less than $1.25 a day, measured at 2005 international prices, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP).
According to UN Millennium Development Goals Indicators
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/Data.aspx
Population below $1 per day in Tanzania:
1992 - 72.6%
2000 - 84.6%
2007 - 67.9%
for comparison, Uganda was at 38% in 2009, India was at 32.7% in 2009
GNI per capita: less than or equal to US$530
Population, total (2010) 44,841,226
Rural population (2010) 33,003,142
Number of rural poor (2010) 12,343,175
At present about 38 percent of people living in rural areas are classified as poor.
statistics from the Rural Poverty Portal
http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/tanzania
All villagers we work with are subsistence farmers who have no reliable, consistent form of income.
African Socialism
Julius Kambarage Nyerere
Julius Kambarage Nyerere (April 13, 1922 - October 14, 1999) served as the first President of Tanzania and previously Tanganyika, from the country’s founding in 1961 until his retirement in 1985. In 1953 he was elected president of Tanganyika African Association (TAA), a civic organization dominated by civil servants, that he had helped found while a student at Makerere University. In 1954 he transformed TAA into the politically oriented Tanganyika African National Union (TANU). TANU’s main objective was to achieve national sovereignty for Tanganyika. A campaign to register new members was launched, and within a year TANU had become the leading political organization in the country. Nyerere had tremendous faith in rural African people and their traditional values and ways of life. He believed that life should be structured around the ujamaa, or extended family found in traditional Africa. He believed that in these traditional villages, the state of ujamaa had existed before the arrival of imperialists. When in power, Nyerere implemented a socialist economic programme (announced in the Arusha Declaration), establishing close ties with China, and also introduced a policy of collectivization in the country’s agricultural system, known as Ujamaa or “familyhood.” Nyerere believed socialism was an attitude of mind that barred discrimination and entailed equality of all human beings. |
3 basic principles of Ujamaa
1. Respect for others 2. Basic goods are held in common 3. Everyone has an obligation to work |
Post-Colonial Theory
Edward Said: “Culture and Imperialism”
from lecture at York University, Toronto, February 10, 1993
Tanzania was colonized by the British until 1961. Without a diligent, conscious and humble approach to any project abroad, we are at risk of perpetuating a colonial history.
The process of entering a culture and choosing certain things as being “exotic” with no understanding of their meaning is another form of colonizing.
”Imperialism” refers to the practice, the theory and the attitudes of a dominating metropolitan center that rules a distant territory.
“Colonialism,” which is almost always a consequence of imperialism, is the implanting of settlements on distant territory.
“...[W]e need to go on and to situate the identities of our students and ourselves in a geography of other identities, people, cultures, and then to study how, despite their differences, they always overlap with each other through unhierarchical influence, crossing, incorporation, recollection, deliberate forgetfulness, and of course conflict. We are nowhere near the end of history, but we are still far from free of monopolizing and imperial attitudes towards it.”
from lecture at York University, Toronto, February 10, 1993
Tanzania was colonized by the British until 1961. Without a diligent, conscious and humble approach to any project abroad, we are at risk of perpetuating a colonial history.
The process of entering a culture and choosing certain things as being “exotic” with no understanding of their meaning is another form of colonizing.
”Imperialism” refers to the practice, the theory and the attitudes of a dominating metropolitan center that rules a distant territory.
“Colonialism,” which is almost always a consequence of imperialism, is the implanting of settlements on distant territory.
“...[W]e need to go on and to situate the identities of our students and ourselves in a geography of other identities, people, cultures, and then to study how, despite their differences, they always overlap with each other through unhierarchical influence, crossing, incorporation, recollection, deliberate forgetfulness, and of course conflict. We are nowhere near the end of history, but we are still far from free of monopolizing and imperial attitudes towards it.”
Socially-Responsive Design
“Development, Culture Change and Supportive Design” by Amos Rapoport
“…[F]or any group, one needs to identify four sets of things:
(1) The relevant critical, central or core social units of the group and their role in the culture (they may be kin groups, age groups, castes, ethnic, religious or initiation groups. linguistic groups, various types of social networks, etc.)
(2) The corresponding physical units at different scales. This stresses and reiterates the importance of considering the larger setting.
(3) The units of social integration or interaction for the group in question and, at least in some cases, with other groups.
(4) The institutions of the group, i.e. the highly culture-specific ways in which certain common economic, recreational, ritual, governing and other activities are carried out and taken care of - and which, in turn lead to highly specific settings for those.
“…[F]or any group, one needs to identify four sets of things:
(1) The relevant critical, central or core social units of the group and their role in the culture (they may be kin groups, age groups, castes, ethnic, religious or initiation groups. linguistic groups, various types of social networks, etc.)
(2) The corresponding physical units at different scales. This stresses and reiterates the importance of considering the larger setting.
(3) The units of social integration or interaction for the group in question and, at least in some cases, with other groups.
(4) The institutions of the group, i.e. the highly culture-specific ways in which certain common economic, recreational, ritual, governing and other activities are carried out and taken care of - and which, in turn lead to highly specific settings for those.
Appropriate Technology
Field Guide to Appropriate Technology, Andrew Conteh
Technology is considered ‘appropriate’ to the extent that it is consistent with the cultural, social, economic, and political institutions of the society in which it is used. |
Guidelines for Implementation
“What will the effect of this project/technology be on this individual community?” “Is it compatible with the local situation and needs?” “Are there hidden disbenefits that were not obvious at first glance?” |
“Hard” and “Soft” Design
In hard design, a device is broken down into component parts, which are precisely defined in terms of their dimensions and materials. The device requires that each component be fabricated to these standards in order for the device to function. Take the example of an automobile: An engine piston having the wrong circumference or not having a smooth surface could prevent the entire vehicle from moving, even if all other components are built ‘according to spec.’” Francis Vanek, Field Guide to Appropriate Technology |
Most families build their own homes, once a family is started. We must provide appropriate technologies for them to build safer, more comfortable, more durable housing.
The building on the right is in Tarime (40km away from Roche) and shows steel trusses that were imported from elsewhere. However, the building is not safe because the trusses have rusted. This is NOT an example of appropriate technology. |