Urban Programme Unit

Population: 136,700
Targeted districts and communities: 1 district (Ilala) and 2 wards (Buguruni and Vingunguti)
Sponsored children: Around 3,600

Dar es Salaam is home to Plan Tanzania's first programme unit; the Dar Urban Programme Unit which opened in 1992. The programme unit works in partnership with the Ilala District Council, Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (DAWASA), community-based organisations including the Kombo Development Association, Madenge Development Association and Mtakuja Development Association.

Programme highlights 

Community health

Working with children, families and communities, Plan Tanzania has initiated a number of projects to improve access to quality health services in the programme area. These include the construction and rehabilitation of health centres – such as in Buguruni and Vingunguti, the provision of medical equipment and the training and capacity building of traditional birth attendants, community-based distributors, community health workers and peer educators, with a focus on HIV prevention.  

Enabling children to learn

Through our school improvement programme, Plan Tanzania has helped school committees to gain the knowledge and skills they need to involve communities and improve learning environments.

Some of our achievements include constructing and rehabilitating Vingunguti and Buguruni Moto primary schools, and a girls’ dormitory school at Sangara Secondary School. A computer centre has been created at Buguruni Primary School.

We have also provided school sanitation and hygiene education, which includes supporting the construction of school pit latrines, early childhood care and development education and capacity building of teachers and volunteers. 

Water and environmental health

To ensure families in Buguruni and Vingunguti wards have access to safe water, Plan has drilled 11 boreholes and installed water pumps and taps in public areas with extensions to households. We have also supported families in constructing permanent toilets and empowered them with training in key hygiene areas.   

Sustainable family livelihoods

Plan Tanzania supports the formation of savings and loans associations, which help poor families to access credit at lower rates so they can invest in their own businesses and meet the needs of their children and families.

Vocational training has also been conducted to enable youths to find a reliable source of income.

Sauti ya Watoto (Children’s voice)

Plan has had success in helping children - including the disabled, orphans and other vulnerable children - to speak out on issues affecting their development.  Communities have now begun respecting and protecting child rights.

Through Plan’s Universal Birth Registration campaign we have mobilised communities to register their  children so that they have an official identity and easier access to social services such as education.

Plan’s Learn Without Fear campaign to end violence in schools is also helping to fight various forms of child rights violations, including sexual violence in schools.  

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