Tanzania

Background

• Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world and has one of the lowest Human Development Indexes (164th out of 177 countries).
• Heavily reliant on foreign aid, over half of its 36 million people live below the poverty line on less than US$1 a day. About half the children are malnourished.
• HIV and AIDS have taken a terrible toll on the population, reducing life expectancy to 43 years of age.
• Education, once universally available to girls and boys, is now seriously under-funded. Young people, who make up around 65% of the population, have limited access to education and training, resulting in an increase of unemployment (leading to crime and prostitution) and drug and alcohol abuse.
• Tanzania is the host of the largest number of refugees in Africa. About 400,000 Burundian and Congolese refugees have been settled in more than ten camps in Northwestern Tanzania for the last decade. This has created tensions among Tanzanian and refugee communities, has impacted the environment and has brought banditry, trafficking and health problems.

What We Do

There is an overall absence of physical activity and inclusive sport and play opportunities for children and youth. There is a lack of knowledge and skills about the importance of sport and play as a tool for healthy child development and there is a lack of safe areas where children could meaningfully engage with one another, their community and family. Right To Play addresses these needs.

Specifically, Right To Play trains Coaches and Teachers in sport and play curriculum based on healthy child development, healthy lifestyle behaviors and HIV prevention. The training provided to the Coaches and Teachers promotes their leadership development while providing them with the skills to succeed with organizing effective activities for children and youth. The children and youth in the camps have benefited greatly from programming to date, and Right To Play remains committed to supporting UNHCR and the communities to ensure children and youth residing inthe refugee campscontinue to experience the benefits that sport and play brings.

So Far

In Lugufu I and Lugufu II Refugee Camps, mainly populated by Congolese and Burundian refugees, approximately 3,125 children and youth participate in programming led by 125 Right To Play trained Coaches.