The MSU-based Partnerships for Sustainable Community Development program is an alliance of local and international organizations working together to make communities more sustainable in their health, education, economic and general well being. Several MSU colleges are involved, as the initiative was designed to take an interdisciplinary, holistic approach to addressing community sustainability issues. The Center for Advanced Study of International Development (CASID), a joint initiative between the College of Social Science and International Studies and Programs, serves as the administrative hub for the program.

An overwhelming majority of Tanzanians live in rural areas and depend on agriculture and livestock for food and income, rainfall for water and firewood for cooking – all closely tied to their rural environment. MSU’s history of collaboration with institutions and organizations in East Africa in general, and in Tanzania in particular, makes this country a natural launching point for the partnership pilot program.

With an alumni donor couple providing an initiation grant to get the Tanzania pilot program started, a multidisciplinary team of MSU faculty and staff have identified the primary pilot villages and begun planning for community development projects with our Tanzanian partner institutions and organizations.

The first anticipated project for the partnership will be an enhancement to the water system in a rural village in northern Tanzania. Currently, villagers in Naitolia walk approximately five miles to their water source, and this project plans to improve water access for the village and schools.

With enhanced access to water, the partnership will develop an educational program that will advance agriculture and health knowledge within the schools and community, and implement programming to improve animal and human health.

The Partnerships for Sustainable Community Development members hope to secure an anchoring endowed fund, which will allow MSU and partners to work in other countries in an integrated fashion, sustain long-term relationships with local partners in those countries and perform follow-up evaluations to measure the long term effects of partnership activities. For the Tanzania pilot project, MSU’s partners are the University of Dar es Salaam Institute for Resource Assessment, the Dar es Salaam University College of Education and the Aga Khan Development Network.

Sustainable Community Development Partners:

• Aga Khan Development Network
• Center for Advanced Study of International Development
• Center for Gender in Global Context
• College of Communications Arts and Sciences
• College of Education
• College of Social Science
• Department of Geography
• College of Nursing
• International Studies and Programs
• University of Dar es Salaam Institute for Resource Assessment
• Dar es Salaam University College of Education