BRAC Tanzania benefits over 430,000 in record time

Bari, BRAC Tanzania County Manager, hands me the February Monthly Report: 71,670 members have been organized since they started forming microfinance groups over 18 months ago. I looked at the number in amazement. I realized that each of these women are supporting at least 5 others (and some support much larger numbers per household due to the high number of orphans due to HIV/AIDS and malaria deaths) so that over 430,000 people were getting some benefit from BRAC's new presence in Tanzania. And this was just from their core program which is the building block for its health, agriculture, poultry and livestock programs. Through the community extension agents that BRAC trains from its microfinance groups, they are extending their impact to hundreds of thousands more people. Moreover the agricultural research now on-going on farms in Arusha and Zanzibar have the potential to impact the country's main sector through the development of improved seed varieties. I walked through rows of okra, aubergine, beans and corn - among dozens of other items - led by Salam, a highly trained and experienced BRAC Ag research manager. With the excitement of a scientist, he waxed eloquently about the promise of finding a way to boost farmer incomes through increased productivity. I learned from Dr. Farah that their community health promoters have detected over 250 cases of malaria and a few dozen TB cases in just these 2 months. This has meant people getting treatment in time and recovering more quickly. I saw a long list of useful health items that they are selling to their neighbors (from mosquito nets to condoms; from paracetamol to worm medicine)and the many thousand health forums that have been conducted on the top 10 health challenges in this beautiful country.

The numbers tell a powerful story. But they don't do justice to it. You have to see it in practice,listen to the dynamic, outspoken women, listen to the shy quiet women and girls, hear the staff and have Justice, the BRAC driver, explain the importance of this work for his country to have the full picture. Justice said this afternoon while driving me back to my hotel, "This country is poor because we have so much corruption. So many trying to worry about just themselves. BRAC is different." He went on to talk more personally with me, "I am worried about HIV. I lost 3 of my brothers. I cared for my big brother as he died. I saw him disappear - once a big, fat man who became a skeleton....I saw a village near where I grew up lose everyone. Everyone died. The houses there are just closed." Justice is a young man who, like so many, just wants a good future.

Susan
Dar es Salaam