Mwanza Region, Tanzania

Tanzania is a country in East Africa most famously known for Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti (the world’s second largest national park) and the Zanzibar Islands that lie in the Indian Ocean just off the East coast. The name of the country is a result of the unification of Tanganyika (the mainland) and the Zanzibar Islands, eventually blending to Tanzania in 1964,  a combination of both names.

Mainsprings has two campuses in Tanzania; one in Kitongo and one in Kahunda. Mwanza city is the second largest city in Tanzania and sits right on the southern shores of Lake Victoria. While Mwanza is a large region and city, it is extremely impoverished, especially in its rural areas.

  • More than 1/3 of the population lives in extreme poverty and earns less than $2 a day.
  • 35% of children under age 5 are chronically malnourished.
  • There is only one doctor for every 33,000 people.
  • In Mainsprings’ region, there are more than 110 children per classroom in primary school and more than 5 children per desk.
  • Less than half of all Tanzanian children will complete the 7th grade.
  • Only 1 out of 10 rural children even attends secondary school.