Community-centered Programs Enriching the Lives of Rural Africans
TACARE: Women tend tree seedlings at a TACARE tree nursery in Kigoma, Tanzania.
© Kristin Mosher
Inside Gombe National Park in Tanzania, site of Jane Goodall’s groundbreaking chimpanzee research, the valleys are thickly forested and the wildlife can still be found in reasonable numbers. Outside of this small oasis, only 35 square kilometers in size, however, the forests and most wildlife have been almost entirely eliminated due to the demands of a rapidly growing population.
In 1994, the Jane Goodall Institute initiated the Lake Tanganyika Catchment Reforestation and Education (TACARE) Project. TACARE seeks to address the rapid degradation of natural resources in the area around Gombe National Park by focusing on community socio-economic development and offering training and education in sustainable natural resource management.
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The TACARE, or “Take Care,” approach provides local communities the tools needed to manage their natural resources for long-term economic gain and environmental sustainability. Now with an all Tanzanian staff, TACARE helps more than 170,000 people in 23 villages manage their natural resources. TACARE offers information on the best farming methods, especially how to control and prevent soil erosion and the resulting flash floods. Hybrid, higher-yield crops, are developed and distributed.