History
Karagwe district is one of the seven districts of Kagera region in Tanzania and covers an area of 3,000 square miles (7,716 Km2)—an area roughly ten times the land size of New York City. The district is located in the Northwestern corner of Tanzania and made up of 28 wards. It borders the Republic of Uganda in the North, the Republic of Rwanda in the West, the districts of Ngara and Biharamulo in the South and Muleba, Bukoba and Misenyi to the East. According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, about 425,000 people live in Karagwe.
Tanzania ranks among the 15 poorest countries in the world. Karagwe is of the poorest of the poor. Income estimates report that the mean income in the area is $39 USD per year. It is nearly impossible for this impoverished area to make enough profit on its exported commodities to pay for the costs of goods that it needs to import. Not surprisingly, the country in general and Karagwe specifically, face problems related to undeveloped infrastructure and need for services required by a growing population. In June 1999, the Government unveiled the Tanzania Development Vision 2025. The primary objective of this initiative is to move Tanzanians away from poverty and uplift their quality of life. The vision recognizes the links between the number of children in a family, ability to pursue education, quality of life, protecting resources and the environment, and sustainable development. Many of Karagwe’s district goals and initiatives align with the Tanzania Development Vision 2025.
Educate Tanzania’s project of establishing KARUCO (Karagwe University College) aligns with the goals of the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 and with the leaders of Karagwe who initiated KARUCO in 2006. Together, we hope to establish KARUCO in order to build a highly-skilled workforce to meet the country’s current needs—especially for agricultural transformation that will bring Tanzania out from antiquated practices and into a current and productive trading economy. Establishment of KARUCO brings hope and a wealth of opportunity for transformation to a remote and needy area often left out of mainstream charitable efforts. You can see a panoramic view of the future KARUCO site here.
Map of Tanzania
Financial Rankings of Richest and Poorest Countries
Educate Tanzania’s Annual Report 2011
Maliyamkono, T. L. and Mason, H. (2006) The Promise, TEMA Publishers Company Ltd, Dar Es Salaam.