Tanzania Development Trust

Home
United Kingdom
London
Tanzania Development Trust

We are a charity that supports projects in Tanzania. We are all volunteers who know the country well. No salaries are paid and we have no offices.

🌍 Empowering Rural Tanzania Since 1975 🌍

We support grassroots projects that provide clean water, education, and income opportunities in rural Tanzania. 100% of donations go directly to local initiatives!

💙 Join us in making a difference! 💙 When we visit projects we all pay our own expenses. In fact, EVERY PENNY THAT WE RECEIVE IS SPENT ON PROJECTS.

21/08/2026

🌍 Field Friday

Project Approved: Borehole Survey for Nyarubanda High School

Every successful water project starts with understanding what's possible.

This month, Tanzania Development Trust approved funding for a £600 borehole survey at Nyarubanda High School, a crucial first step towards providing a reliable source of clean water.

Nyarubanda is a rural secondary school located 60km from Kasulu, serving 1,468 students. At present, the school's water situation is extremely challenging. The nearest water source is 2km away, and the girls' hostel has been forced to close because there is no reliable supply of clean water.

If the survey confirms that a borehole is viable, the impact could be significant:
💧 Reliable access to clean water for 1,468 students and staff
🏫 The opportunity to reopen the girls' hostel
🤝 A future water supply that will also be shared with a nearby primary school
🌱 A long-term, community-wide solution to water scarcity

The survey follows careful due diligence by Project Officer and Local Representative Evelyn Leonard, and will be carried out by the Lake Tanganyika Basin Water Board, a trusted partner that has successfully delivered previous surveys for TDT in the region.

Sometimes the most important projects don't begin with construction, they begin with careful planning. This survey lays the groundwork for a solution that could transform education and daily life for thousands of people.

20/08/2026

💛 "Since I have no parents, I thought my life was over when my husband left me with two children. But my story has been getting better since the moment I joined the group."

Jane joined the Ukombozi Tailoring Group as a student and is one of the widows and teenage mothers the group exists to support.

Today, she's earning an income, building confidence, and looking towards a brighter future for her family.

In Jane's own words:

"Now we are generating income which is helping us take care of our children and other dependants. TDT's support is not just helping us grow our income and markets, it is going to liberate us economically. We will be able to send our children to school, and help many more teenage mothers train here and earn an income."

We're raising just £1,060 to buy additional sewing machines so the group can:
🧵 Train more women
💼 Take on more work
👩‍👧 Help more widows and teenage mothers build sustainable incomes

⏳ With the busy post-harvest season approaching, now is the perfect time to help this project reach its full potential.

You can be part of Jane's story by donating here:
👉 https://donorbox.org/tdt-urgent-iga-appeal-04

As a volunteer-run charity with no overheads, 100% of every donation goes directly to projects in Tanzania.

Thank you for helping women like Jane create brighter futures for themselves, their children, and their communities. 💛

19/08/2026

🌍 Widsom Wednesday

Building on success: Mdughuyu enters its next chapter

We're delighted to announce that Tanzania Development Trust has signed a new three-year Memorandum of Understanding to continue our partnership with the community of Mdughuyu Village.

Over the past three years, this integrated development programme has transformed access to clean water, healthcare, and education. These achievements have been made possible through close collaboration between the village, local government, EuCanAid, and TDT.

You can read about the first three years here:
👉 https://tanzdevtrust.org/projects-2/mdughuyu-village-integrated-development-project/

The next phase has been shaped by the community itself, with support from Project Officer David Gibbons and Local Representative Hamza Rajabu. Following consultations with village leaders, women, young people, and other residents, six new projects have been identified under three key priorities:

📚 Improving access to quality education
🏥 Strengthening primary healthcare
🌱 Increasing household incomes through sustainable livelihoods

Planned projects include:
🏫 Completing unfinished classrooms
🩺 Constructing a dedicated maternity ward
💻 Providing equipment to support teaching and community services
🌾 Developing income-generating initiatives for farming families and community groups

What makes Mdughuyu special is that this isn't a series of standalone projects. It's a long-term partnership, with each phase building on previous successes and responding directly to the priorities identified by the community.

We're excited to continue this journey together over the next three years and look forward to sharing updates as each project gets underway.

Learn more:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jggCl011qI&feature=youtu.be

17/08/2026

👋 Meet Veredia.

Veredia is the chairperson of the Ukombozi Tailoring Group in Kagera, where a group of widows and teenage mothers have built a thriving tailoring business from almost nothing.

Today, they're doing more than earning an income; they're teaching other women the same skills, helping them build confidence, financial independence, and brighter futures. 🧵💛

Veredia is passionate about her work and the difference it can make in her community. We want to help her expand the group so that even more women can learn lifelong, income-generating skills.

We're raising just £1,060 to purchase additional sewing machines, allowing the group to:
🪡 Take on more tailoring work
👩🏾‍🏫 Train more widows and teenage mothers
🌱 Create sustainable livelihoods for even more families

⏳ With their busiest season just after the harvest fast approaching, there's never been a better time to help.

Please take a moment to watch Veredia's story, and if you're able, consider making a donation.

👉 https://donorbox.org/tdt-urgent-iga-appeal-04

Every gift, no matter the size, will help create lasting opportunities for women determined to build a better future for themselves and their families.

14/08/2026

🌍 Field Friday

Project Approved: Digital Skills and IT Equipment for Matumbulu Vocational Training Centre

We're delighted to announce funding for a new project at Matumbulu Vocational Training Centre, helping strengthen the centre's digital capacity and support its long-term journey towards greater sustainability.

This investment will provide:
💻 New laptops and office equipment
🌐 Improved internet connectivity
📚 Staff training and access to online teaching resources
🤟 Better access to Tanzania Sign Language (TSL) learning materials for deaf students

The impact goes beyond technology.

Improved digital resources will help staff spend less time on administration and more time supporting students, while giving deaf learners greater access to educational materials outside the classroom.

Matumbulu is already creating opportunities through vocational training in:
🧵 Tailoring
🪚 Carpentry
🔨 Metalwork
🌾 Agriculture
💇 Hairdressing
🧱 Block manufacturing

By strengthening the centre's digital infrastructure, this project will help support its long-term goal of becoming more financially sustainable while continuing to provide life-changing education and skills for deaf young people.

This is another example of how practical, community-led projects create lasting impact.

13/08/2026

💛 A small investment can create a lifetime of opportunity.

In Bugarama Village, Kagera, a group of widows and teenage mothers have built a successful tailoring business from almost nothing. Today, they're not only earning an income, they're training other women in their community to do the same.

They have the skills.
They have the customers.
What they don't have are enough sewing machines.

At the moment, they have to rent equipment, reducing the income they work so hard to earn.

We're raising just £1,060 to buy sewing machines that will allow the group to:
🧵 Take on more tailoring work
👩🏾‍🏫 Train more widows and teenage mothers
💛 Create sustainable incomes for dozens of families

There's real urgency. The busiest period for tailoring comes just after the harvest, when families have money to spend. Having these machines in place before then will allow the group to make the most of their busiest and most profitable season.

As a volunteer-run charity with no overheads, 100% of every donation goes directly to projects in Tanzania.

If you're able, please donate today and help us share this appeal with your friends and family.

👉 https://donorbox.org/tdt-urgent-iga-appeal-04

Every donation, no matter the size, helps create lasting opportunities for women determined to build a better future.

12/08/2026

🧠 💧

In Tanzania, women spend an average of 90 minutes every day collecting water; time that could be used for education, income-generating work, or caring for their families.

This daily burden affects health, opportunity, and equality, especially for girls and women in rural areas.

At Tanzania Development Trust, we're working to change that by funding clean water projects that bring safe, local water sources to communities in need.

🚶‍♀️ Less walking.
💧 More living.

11/08/2026

💌 We'd love your help!

At Tanzania Development Trust, we sell beautifully designed greeting cards inspired by the art and culture of Tanzania, with every purchase helping to fund our community-led projects.

We're looking to expand our range, and we'd love your input.

📝 Our survey has just **two quick questions**, and your feedback will help us choose the designs our supporters are most excited to see.

Take the survey here:
👉 https://forms.gle/NNbBLguVjhPAVwZK6

Or, if you're looking for your next greeting card, you can browse our current collection here:
🛍️ https://tanzdevtrust.org/shop/

Every card purchased helps support projects providing clean water, education, and sustainable livelihoods across Tanzania.

Thank you for helping us grow our range and our impact! 💛

10/08/2026

🔑 : Building Credibility

Unlike big global organisations, smaller charities like Tanzania Development Trust earn trust every day, not through flashy marketing, but through consistency, transparency, and accountability.

That means:
• Clearly showing how every pound is spent
• Reporting honestly on outcomes
• Listening deeply to the communities we serve

Every project starts with a local representative and continues with regular reports, feedback, and visits. We don’t fund from afar, we build real partnerships on the ground.

This approach may not be fast or flashy, but it creates lasting confidence with donors and delivers genuine impact where it matters most.

Credibility isn’t an extra, it’s the foundation of everything we do.
🔗 Learn more: www.tanzdevtrust.org

07/08/2026

🤝 International Day of Friendship – 30th July

Friendship has the power to cross borders, bridge cultures, and create lasting change.

On the International Day of Friendship, we celebrate the partnership between supporters in the UK and communities across Tanzania; a collaboration built on trust, respect, and shared purpose.

At Tanzania Development Trust, our work is rooted in solidarity. Together, we:
💧 Fund clean water projects that transform daily life
📚 Strengthen schools and expand access to education
👧🏽 Protect and empower girls through safe hostels and wellbeing programmes
🌍 Support locally led initiatives that create sustainable change

Development is not one-sided. It is built on listening, partnership, and mutual commitment.

Today, we thank every supporter, volunteer, trustee, and community partner who makes this friendship meaningful.

Stronger together, across continents.

Address

London
E50RU

Website

http://www.tanzdevtrust.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Tanzania Development Trust posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Featured

British DJ & MC Academy
The grangeway
Hephzibar Foundation