Infrastructure

Tending the seeds of learning

Nurturing individual growth

For plants to grow, they need light, water, and nutrients. Likewise, children can’t learn if they’re hungry, thirsty, or anxious.
At MATE, we undertake projects of impact – creating the right conditions for learning to take place.

Discover our work

The infrastructure in Tanzania

In rural parts of Tanzania, the infrastructure is extremely poor and mostly underdeveloped. Everything from transport infrastructure to energy to water and healthcare is in serious need of development or revitalization. Unsurprisingly, this lack of resources has a marked impact on the ability for learning to take place.

Transport links

Most of the country’s road networks are leftovers from the colonial era, with few inland interconnections. There haven’t been many projects in recent years to develop new road or rail networks. In fact, there is estimated to be as low as 0.05 kilometers of road for every square kilometer, amounting to just 85,000 kilometers of road for the entire country of 945,087 square kilometers.

Energy and electricity

The issue of energy – particularly electricity – is a prerequisite for any modern country to function. It reduces household labor and powers cities, impacting all facets of life. However, in Tanzania, only 15% of households are connected to the grid. Most rural children lack reliable electricity since the network is mostly urban. With industrialization driving energy policy, rural areas without manufacturing plants are often neglected.

Access to water

Whether to sustain farmland or for domestic needs, water is essential for a productive harvest, population health, and ongoing sanitation. However, in rural areas, 41% of water comes from surface sources and 28% from open wells. This forces the rural population, especially women, to spend much time fetching water, which is often of poor quality, leading to water-borne diseases and illnesses.

The impact of poor infrastructure on education

Children need to be healthy. Children need to have food and water. Children need to travel to school.

Poor infrastructure robs a child of education.

At MATE, we sponsor individual children and female teenagers to ensure they have access to primary and secondary schooling. That includes tuition, resources, and transport where necessary.

But at the schools, we need to ensure that these children – and their classmates – are able to learn in an environment that is safe and suitable.

For this reason, alongside our sponsorship program, we also take part in various infrastructure projects to enrich the learning environment.

Njoroi primary school projects

We have been part of two projects at Njoroi primary school to date.

Providing access to water

We provided the local Njoroi primary school with two 10,000-liter water tanks, including installation. These tanks collect rainwater for drinking and cooking. Thanks to these tanks, the children no longer have to walk to streams for water, meaning they have more time to study in class – alongside access to clean drinking water.

Njoroi primary school garden

We believe in encouraging practical skills alongside academic studies. As part of this, we've been helping young students develop a small garden. This will provide much-needed vegetables and teach them how to maintain a successful garden.

There is more work to do

The projects we are involved in are already bearing fruit, giving Maasai children and teenagers the security they need to learn.

But there is so much more that needs to be done.

With your help, we can take part in more infrastructure and educational projects, expanding the sphere of our influence to include the entire community.

MATE projects

When women and girls have access to education, they can decide their own future, participate in decision-making bodies, eliminate harmful cultural practices, and improve their economic activity and household income.

ARUSHA-TANZANIA

Puan Entito (Girl Prosperity)

MATE, empower the Maasai community, especially women and girls, to participate in decision-making, economic activities, and to improve their overall quality of life.

See project report

Maasai Access to Education works to overcome high illiteracy rates and poor educational infrastructure in the pastoralist communities of Ngorongoro district, Tanzania.