In addition to allowing its members to continue promoting Village Community Development efforts, through donations, service on the Projects Committee and in other ways, Friends of Tanzania seeks to Educate its members and others about matters relating to Tanzania and to Advocate for measures that promote development within Tanzania with fairness and equity.
Educate
FOT arranges for speakers various topics of interest to its members and to others. In the fall of 2021, FOT held a three-part Friends of Tanzania Educational Scholar Series, featuring three educators:
- DR. LAWRENCE MBOGONI -- “The History of the Peace Corps in Tanzania: Progress on a Book in Development” To watch the video of Professor Mbogoni's presentation CLICK HERE
- ALLEN RUGAMBWA -- "Development in Tanzania: Where Will It Do the Most Good?” To watch a video of Mr. Rugambwa's presentation CLICK HERE
- DR. FRANCES VAVRUS -- “Teacher Education in Tanzania” To watch a video of Dr. Vavrus' presentation CLICK HERE
More details about these three scholars can be found on HERE.
Through its website and periodic emails, FOT also keeps its members informed about similar educational events offered by other organizations.
In addition, through the generous time commitment made by one of FOT’s members, FOT sponsors weekly Swahili discussions via zoom calls. More information about the Swahili sessions can be found on our events page or by emailing to swahili@fotanzania.
Advocate
Because many of FOT’s members are Return Peace Corps Volunteers, we attempt to maintain a channel of communications the Peace Corps and with and through the National Peace Corps Association. In addition, over the years FOT has formed and maintained a respected relationship with the Tanzania Embassy in Washington, D.C. When appropriate, FOT utilizes those connections to advocate on issues of importance to its members and to ensuring the opportunity to work with the people of Tanzania.
An example of such advocacy is Friends of Tanzania's letter to the Peace Corps urging that agency to adopt changes in response to the tragic death of a Tanzanian citizen as a result of fatal traffic accident caused by a US Citizen Peace Corps Staff member in August 2019. That tragedy was first reported by USA Today on December 21, 2021. FOT’s letter to the Peace Corps Acting Director can be found HERE. The Peace Corps Director recently published a further statement on the matter.