Duluti Project
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Beneficiaries
AiRD–Tanzania: Duluti Project
The Africa Initiative for Rural Development – Tanzania (AiRD–Tanzania) is the newest national chapter of AiRD, established to advance the organization’s regional mandate of promoting sustainable rural development across Sub-Saharan Africa. Mirroring the core values and multi-sectoral approach of our parent organization (www.africa-ird.org), AiRD–Tanzania is committed to empowering underserved communities through participatory development programs that foster economic resilience, gender equality, and improved well-being.
Our Tanzanian arm was officially launched in 2025 with its flagship project located in Lake Duluti area, Arusha Region, hosted at the Christian Revival Church of Tanzania Building. This strategic location allows AiRD–Tanzania to serve rural communities in the Arusha Region, a dynamic yet underserved area facing persistent social, health, and economic challenges.
Thematic Areas of Focus
AiRD–Tanzania aligns with AiRD’s four core pillars which address several United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
Food and Livelihood Security – Addresses SDG 2 – Zero Hunger
Education and Skills Development – Addresses SDG 4: Quality Education
Environmental Sustainability – Addresses SDG 13: Climate Action
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) – Addresses SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
To respond to Tanzania’s unique development landscape, AiRD–Tanzania has also introduced a fifth strategic area:
Integrated Community Health Programme
Recognizing the central role of health in sustainable development, the AiRD–Tanzania has launched the Integrated Community Health Programme. This new thematic area focuses on strategically improving access to essential health services, promoting preventive care, and addressing key public health challenges through community-led solutions.
Impact and Vision
The Duluti Project reflects AiRD–Tanzania’s belief that sustainable development begins at the community level. By addressing cross-cutting issues of health, sanitation, gender, and youth empowerment, the project exemplifies AiRD’s commitment to integrated, people-centered development.
Our long-term vision is to expand the Duluti model across Tanzania, establishing a network of community hubs that empower rural populations to lead healthier, more dignified lives.
Under this programme, AiRD–Tanzania implements health education campaigns, facilitates mobile health outreach, and works in partnership with local clinics and traditional leaders to overcome cultural and structural barriers to healthcare. A special focus is placed on women of reproductive age, children under five, and youth aged 12–25.
Recognizing growing global complacency in HIV/AIDS prevention, especially in developing countries, AiRD–Tanzania recently launched the Duluti HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management Project to address and reverse this troubling trend.
Duluti HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management Project
The Duluti HIV/AIDS Prevention and Management Project, housed within the Integrated Community Health Programme, is AiRD–Tanzania’s first major initiative. Located at the Christian Revival Church of Tanzania Building in Lake Duluti, the project addresses the growing complacency and stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in the Arusha Region.
The project integrates WASH components to ensure treatment adherence and prevent opportunistic infections. Its activities include:
- Community mobilization and culturally tailored health education
- Advocacy on stigma reduction, particularly among youth and religious communities
- Voluntary counseling and testing services
- Behavior-change communication and peer mentorship
- Engagement with traditional and religious leaders
A core innovation of the project is its research-informed design, using evidence from local health trends and social dynamics to ensure context-sensitive interventions. This includes ongoing studies like that of AiRD’s Research Officer, Mariam Ally Ngoya, whose work on HIV/AIDS stigma among Muslim women is shaping gender-sensitive strategies.
Coming Soon
The Duluti Project reflects AiRD’s belief that sustainable development starts at the community level. By integrating health, sanitation, gender, and youth empowerment with SDGs 1, 7, 9, and 10, the project showcases AiRD’s commitment to inclusive, people-centered development.
AiRD–Tanzania plans to launch rural digital green technology hubs under the Duluti Project, beginning with a pilot in the Lake Duluti area of Arusha. Using a multi-dimensional impact project design (MIPD), these hubs are seen as vital to achieving key SDGs through affordable energy, innovation, infrastructure, and poverty reduction.
For more information, contact us at duluti_project(at)africa-ird.org
