Tanzania is in southeastern Africa and probably one of the oldest known inhabited areas on Earth; fossil remains or humans and pre-human hominids have been found dating back over two million years. With a population of about 43 million, the country includes the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, and other offshore islands in the Indian Ocean. CSC began its relationship in Tanzania in 2008. Locations have included Dodoma and Arusha. Projects have included formulating growth strategies and management plans for the Africa Wildlife Foundation, Tanzania Association of Tour Operators and KickStart, a nonprofit that develops and markets new technologies in Africa.
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CSC Tanzania 1
20 August 2008 – 21 September 2008
"Tanzania Team 1 was made up of nine individuals from the United States, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Japan, Germany and Italy.
We served three African organizations concerned with promoting conservation, economic growth and tourism in Arusha, Tanzania, which is located between Mt. Kilimanjaro and Serengeti National Park. The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) team created business plans for an abattoir and two eco-lodges meant to promote conservation and job creation for impoverished communities. The Tanzanian Association of Tour Operators (TATO) team focused on creating an innovative website and governance plan for this organization, which promotes and educates local Tanzanian tour companies. The Kickstart team worked on sales force education and a design for a free cell phone information system that allowed farmers to take advantage of groundbreaking products that can increase yields and their profits more than 300%.
The team led a special education session for the kids in sixth through eighth grades of the local Arusha School, which included the gift of a snap electronics kit and support for getting the internet in their computer lab up and running. The kids were so smart that they caught on extremely quickly and indeed have a bright future ahead of them!
Our favorite memories as a team included working at the school, traveling to the beautiful National Parks on the weekend, playing volleyball with the Tanzania National Team, nightly dinners together, and sampling the local dishes and beers every chance we got!"
- CSC Tanzania 2
20 October 2008 - 14 November 2008
"Our team was composed of eight participants from six countries, and we worked for two different non-governmental organizations in Arusha, Tanzania, largely in support of sustainable tourism which is the largest industry in Tanzania.
Four of us worked for the African Wildlife Foundation on sustainability, conservation and community participation in Wildlife Management Areas, Manyara Ranch and the Kwakuchinja Corridor in the Maasai Steppe region. The other four team members worked with the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) and developed marketing and lobbying plans and board development training. This team also developed a new website including an interactive “find a tour operator” section to drive business to TATO members.
We all gained a deep appreciation for the complexities and interrelationships of wildlife and habitat conservation on the one hand, and the creation of sustainable livelihoods for people on the other—and the fact that Tanzania can’t have one without the other.
We visited two very different schools during our stay in Arusha: one of the highest rated schools in the country, and a much poorer school without electricity or running water. We enjoyed helping the students find our home countries on a map, and were impressed with their hard work and astute questions.
A favorite memory is from our very first day on African soil, when we took a walk along the beach in Dar es Salaam. We witnessed a baptism in the Indian Ocean, and came across a group of children playing “Simba.” With limited Swahili, we were able to understand the rules of the game, and to avoid being caught by the lion when he declared the hour was lunchtime!"
- CSC Tanzania 3
11 March 2009 – 10 April 2009
"Tanzania Team 3 consisted of nine participants from seven countries: Brazil, the United States, Italy, India, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the Philippines.
We worked with three organizations.
At the African Wildlife Foundation, we worked on three projects. The first project involved creating a pilot project that gathered baseline information to better understand children’s knowledge of HIV / AIDS, and creating a plan to help educate children in Massai villages. The second project focused on water and sanitation and included working with Massai villages to create plans for more efficient water purification methods, and more hygienic practices. The third project focused on Massai Women’s Crafts and involved creating a marketing plan for the Massai women to bring their crafts to market.
At the Tanzania Association of TOurism Operators, we created a strategic marketing plans and help identify new business opportunities in Arusha.
At the Institute of Accountance, we reviewed and defined their marketing and ICT strategy.
In addition to our projects, we also performed some community service. At St. Margaret’s School and the Arusha National School, we created a half day curriculum that introduced the students to a variety of multi cultural activities including origami, gardening and games. The students also participated in a penpal program with students from the US. IBM donated electronic math kits to both schools.
The IBM team also visited the Karim Orphanage on a couple of occasions to play with the children and understand their greatest needs. In addition to gifts, supplies and food donated, the team identified a US charity that supplied 6 months worth of food to the orphanage. These visits are one of the team’s favorite memories. Each of us had a different style of connecting with the children, and each style worked. We saw the joy these unique styles brought the children, but they also revealed a new dimension of our colleagues – which only confirmed why we respected each other so much.
Team members from Tanzania 3 had an almost instant connection with each other. We truly enjoyed each other’s company and loved sharing stories and experiences. Most evenings we would gather around one of the tables in the outdoor lounge and play card games. Eruptions of laughter and friendly competitions were common themes."
- CSC Tanzania 4
20 April 2009 – 14 May 2009
"Tanzania Team 4 consisted of 10 participants from US, India, Germany, Japan, Slovakia, Canada and Australia.
The team had 4 sub projects, all of which were for the University of Dodoma (UDom), Tanzania. We developed a Management Information System (MIS) for UDom and for Primary/Secondary Schools in Dodoma. We implemented a Learning Management System (LMS) for the School of Virtual Education, UDom. We introduced Cloud Computing to the UDom staff showing its application in MIS and Virtual education delivery projects.
Our favourite memory is the trip to Mikumi National Park."
- CSC Tanzania 5
p>28 August 2009 – 25 September 2009
"The team consisted of 10 IBMers ranging in tenure from three to 20 years and representing eight countries: Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, New Zealand, Slovakia, the UK and the US.
Our team was based in Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania, where Tanzania President Kikwete is making a significant commitment to establish a world class University, UDOM, that will serve, in his view, as the Silicon Valley of East Africa.
Our team formed three smaller teams in support three projects at the University of Dodoma: Information Technology (IT) Strategy, Management Information System (MIS) , and Learning Management System (LMS). The IT Strategy project consisted of four integral parts, IT Strategy and Plan Assessment, IT Governance, Application Architecture and Security Architecture. The MIS project would establish a centralized database of information for use by all of the colleges at the university; this development could then be shared with the primary and secondary schools in the community, It is UDOM’s desire to give back to the community and support applicants to higher education. The team on the LMS project worked on the development of enabling the UDOM environment to enhance delivery of educational services in a virtual environment and strategies for effective marketing of virtual environments through the School of Virtual Education.
At one of our favorite restaurants in Dodoma, our team met two wonderful people, Giovanna and Nino, that operate an orphanage, KISEDET (Kigwe, Social Economic Development Trust). We brought gifts and spent a day visiting the orphanage where the children performed local dance and music for us. Many team members continue supporting this orphanage.
Our team had many great experiences with our university counterparts, however, the opportunity for us to be invited to Mikulu, the local village of one of our UDOM hosts was the experience of a lifetime. The endearing children welcomed us, the women performed native song and dance for us while encouraging our participation and we were treated to a meal of GoGo food. Asante!"
- CSC Tanzania 6
9 October 2009 – 6 November 2009
"Our team consisted of people from eight countries, Austria, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico and the US.
Our work location was Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania.
We supported the University of Dodoma (UDOM) in fulfilling its obligation and vision of becoming the Center of Excellence for Information and Communication Technology (ICT), not only for Tanzania, but the East African region as well.
Besides our business-related tasks, we visited primary and secondary schools and enjoyed amazing and fascinating cultural experiences, which included a visit to a Gogo tribal village and a visit to The Village of Hope Orphanage. The Village of Hope focuses on providing a home as well as medical treatment for HIV positive children and their mothers. It was out of the question not to also visit the United Nation World Food Program.
This journey started with 10 strangers meeting for the first time in a country foreign to us. In a matter of hours, we became one entity talking and acting as one. In the end, each of us gained nine new friends and learned to be grateful for the quality of life we enjoy. We gained magical memories which will last a lifetime and learned that there truly is no hurry in Tanzania."
- CSC Tanzania 7
9 September 2011 to 7 October 2011
The team consisted of fifteen IBMers ranging in tenure from three to twenty-seven years and representing ten countries: Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Republic of Korea, and the United States
The team served host organizations based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, and worked more closely with the regional offices of the host organizations in Morogoro, a city roughly 200 km to the west of Dar es Salaam. This arrangement allowed the team to gain insight from both metropolitan and regional perspectives.
The team formed three sub teams to support three host organizations.
Subteam 1 worked with the Tanzania Posts Corporation (TPC) to help develop a business model to expand product and service offerings by positioning TPC as a multi-agent service provider. The team developed a roadmap containing five recommendations, including an expansion of internet café use across the postal network.
Subteam 2 worked with the Tanzania Police Force (TPF) to identify the challenges faced by TPC and provided recommendations around Smarter Traffic solutions. The team identified a roadmap including twenty-three strategic initiatives and eight “quick-wins,” which are already in the course of being implemented.
Subteam 3 worked with the Tanzania Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) to strengthen institutional capacity in health training schools by developing prototype e-learning policies and guidelines. It is envisioned that more than 250 health training institutions will adopt the policies and guidelines developed by the team.
Tanzania Team 7 had the pleasure of visiting the Amani Center for Disabled Children in Morogoro. The team toured the center, played with the children (including an intense battle with IBM balloons) and sang and danced together. What started out as community service became full-time play, subdued only by lunch. The afternoon had the team teaching the staff and volunteers about computers, and the sharing a little bit about each of our countries.
Aside from the priceless memories stated above, the team took a quick day-safari to Mikumi National park to witness the natural beauty of Tanzania. The team was quickly greeted by a lioness, just meters from the bus! The team has documented their entire experience on their blog, at http://ibmintanzania2011.blogspot.com/
- CSC Tanzania 8
March 1-31, 2012
CSC Tanzania 8 team consisted of 15 IBMers from 13 different countries: Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, USA, Canada, UK (Ireland), Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Hungary, India, China and Australia.
The host organizations we worked with were all based in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. We had our introductions, mid-term and final reviews in Dar and spent the rest of our working time in Morogoro, close to the beautiful Uluguru Mountains.
The team also conducted lectures at Sokoine and Mzumbe Universities to provide some insight into how global workers at IBM use technology to communicate and collaborate worldwide.
The team visited the “Mission for Homeless Children”, an orphanage for children. The incredible day we spent there was the highlight of our time in Morogoro and became our favorite memory. All of us were touched by meeting the children who all had “their stories”, but still had a smile on their faces. They seemed to be all brothers and sisters, just like in a big, extended and happy family. We played football with the kids, taught them some computer lessons, gave them some gifts, but at the end, we all could agree, there was so much more we got from them.
Besides Dar es Salaam and Morogoro, we visited Bagamoyo, the former capital of the German-East-African Colony and the wonderful Mikumi National Park. Most of the team members went to Zanzibar and made a one-week-long safari after the assignment visiting the famous Tanzanian national parks, such as the Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Tarangire and the Ngorongoro Crater.
Our 15 person CSC team was divided into 3 sub-teams, all working for different host organizations.
1. Sub-team 1 was assigned to the Tanzania Library Services Board (TLSB) to develop a computing and digital content strategy. This included a review of current operations, an assessment of user needs and satisfaction, a scan of digital content best practices world-wide and finally the development of a phased roadmap of initiatives.
2. Sub-team 2 was assigned to the Registration, Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency (RITA) in order to determine solutions that would drive up the number of birth registrations. The team conducted field work to study and review the current processes of the registration of vital events. This work was performed in Dar es Salaam, but also in the rural areas where the number of registrations is the lowest. After exploring existing weaknesses, the team suggested both technological as well as systematic solutions which enhance data collection and transmission. Proposed best fit solutions considered end-to-end business aspects, such as process, infrastructure, organizations, politics, marketing, finance and sustainability.
3. Sub-team 3 was assigned to the Tanzanian Education and Research Network (TERNET) to help determine how TERNET could be turned into a customer oriented and financially sustainable organization. The team conducted more than twenty interviews of TERNET members to determine the facts and business value of TERNET. The team then proposed a roadmap to Sustainability which covered aspects of Customer Orientation, Collaboration, and Financial Stability, backed by a set of more than fifty communication, technical, financial and organization recommendations.
- CSC Tanzania 9
Sept 7 – Oct 6, 2012
CSC 9 Tanzania Team consists of 12 IBMers from 6 various countries (India, United States, Canada, Slovakia, Japan and Hungary) deployed in Tanga, in a quiet, seaside town in Tanzania. Our Team of 12 was assigned to three different host organizations as follows:
Sub-Team 1 was working for the Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA), an autonomous government agency, in order to improve learning and teaching in vocational education and training using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The Team provided a final report containing a gap analysis of challenge areas, investment plan and a roadmap for recommended ICT strategy in line with national and sectoral policies.
Sub-Team 2 was working for Tanzania Airport Authority (TAA) to help improve revenue generation and to introduce controls preventing leakages in collected revenue.
Sub-Team 3 was working for Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) to expand and improve their Market Information System. The IBM Team recommended building up a partnership for TAHA with Mobile Service Provider so that Tanzanian farmer can obtain timely agricultural information on pricing.
As part of community service work, CSC 9 visited a local orphanage, Comfort Day Care Center. The team distributed cookies, candies, toys, toothbrushes and toothpaste and participated in a full day of activities involving cooking, gardening, laundry, physical education, computer training and the library. Second, a lecture was given by the IBM Team at Eckernforde Tanga University about Enterpreneurship, Internet usage and web safety precautions.
CSC 9 could not pick a favorite memory because all of them were wonderful and will definitely remain unforgettable!
