Ahern to meet struggling farming communities

The challenges facing farming communities in rural Tanzania will be seen first hand by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today.

The Taoiseach continues his official trip to Africa with a visit to Mwanza in northern Tanzania and the village of Ngudama.

Accompanied by Michael Kitt, the Minister of State with responsibility for Overseas Development, Mr Ahern will look around the local 552-pupil primary school – which has just 11 classrooms and 16 teachers.

Throughout the day, the Taoiseach will also visit the Nyegezi Bus Station which has been part-funded by Ireland through its support to the local government grant system.

The station caters for approximately 3,500 passengers daily and provides employment opportunities for the local population, playing a key role in the reduction of poverty.

He will later meet some of the 33 Irish missionaries who are living and working in Tanzania, mainly in the areas of education and health.

“The missionaries will talk about their work and give their assessment of the needs in Tanzania,” continued the spokesman.

“Following this meeting, the Taoiseach will visit the Kivulini Centre, which is a civil society organisation involved in raising awareness of and providing support to women who have experienced gender-based violence.”

Irish Aid has given financial assistance to the school, provided €750,000 funding to missionaries in 2007, and supported Kivulini through the umbrella organisation Women in Law and Development in Africa.

The organisation reaches over 75,000 people every year in the Mwanza region alone.

The Taoiseach departs Mwanza for the capital, Dar es Salaam, where he will be guest of honour at a reception for the Irish community in Tanzania, hosted by the Irish Ambassador, H.E. Anne Barrington.

The Ambassador’s reception marks the end of the Taoiseach’s official visit to Tanzania. He will fly back to Dublin on Friday morning.