The town of Shirati and the villages of Roche, Nyambogo, and Burere are located in northern Tanzania on the eastern shore of Lake Victoria, just south of the Kenyan border. Overall, the population is rural with about 70 persons per square kilometer and an average of 5.5 people per household. The current growth rate of the area is 2.5, with an increase of 50 to 70 people per square kilometer between 1988 and 2002.
The village of Roche has a radius of 3 kilometers, contains about 1,700 dwellings and has a population around 7,000. Nyambogo is the most expansive and populated village visited. It has a radius of 10 km, contains about 5,000 dwellings and has a population around 23,000. The village of Burere, which is situated directly on Lake Victoria, has an oblong shape with a radius beteen 5 to 10 km, contains 2,440 dwellings and has a population around 10,000.
Major roads are all dirt, roughly 14-16 feet in width. Most are conduits for water drainage creating extensive grooves, and many are riddled with large obstructive rocks/boulders protruding from the roadways. Intra-village travel is performed on interwoven paths worn from consistent traffic. The dominant transportation type is by foot; but bicycles are also used to transport goods.
This area is situated in a humid equatorial climate wih dry winters. Grasslands are the dominant vegetation type supported by the reddish Ustalf Alfisol soils. These soils can be productive, and are in other areas of the world that have sufficient irrigation; however, the soils in the areas visited are underproductive due to the scarcity of immediately accessible local water resources and the lack of infrastructural materials for irrigation systems.
By far, the majority of the villagers are subsistence farmers, meaning that they grow food for personal consumption with little or no surplus. The soils are most suited to support the main source of sustinence, the bitter variety of the cassava root. This variety of cassava must be cooked since it contains a substance that, when eaten, can trigger the production of cyanide. Villagers average between two and three meals a day, consisting of cassava and grains. While there is a presence of domesticated animals, most villagers eat meat (protein), on average, once a week. Reliable, clean, and sufficient water sources are a concern in all village areas.
The soil lacks the ability to support larger tree species, which has ramifications in building construction because of the lack of long pieces of lumber, but smaller plants are grown to utilize fibers for rope. The landscape is dry with little support for larger animals, but the villagers practice local nomadic grazing of domestic animals, mostly goats and cattle.
Small dwellings are mostly adobe huts. Construction of these dwellings begins with a wood rebar made of slender sticks tethered together with fibrous rope, then packed with local mud. Other dwellings, of wealthier individuals, are made of earthen bricks formed from mud and then sun dried and fire baked. Depending upon financial resources, these structures use either mud or cement as mortar. Thatched roofs are common, but wealthier dwelling employ corrugated steel. Steel roofs have the added benefit of being able to divert rain water for collection and storage. Larger structures, such as school buildings and churches, are constructed with wood frame and brick walls that may or may not be covered with a mud plaster.
LIFE COMMITTEE
Running water and sewage systems are nonexistent in the communities served by VLOP, and thus access to clean water is overwhelmingly identified as a top need in all villages. The burden of tropical disease is worsened by unsanitary water resources. Teachers in the villages give lessons to thirsty students in their classrooms with no water to drink.
Implementation of systems to address water quality and quantity is the focus of The Life Committee. This arm of VLOP conducts ongoing research and design to determine the most appropriate technologies to address these systemic issues, incorporating water filtration, collection and storage, and latrine projects.
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Contact us anytime at: contact@villagelifeoutreach.org.