Fighting Hunger Worldwide

World Food
Programme

Mpango Wa
Chakula Duniani

WFP News Release

3 November 2016

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME AND REPUBLIC OF

KOREA PROVIDE NEW COMMUNITY BUILDINGS
DODOMA The Government of Tanzania and the United Nations World Food
Programme (WFP) today joined a ceremony to mark the completion of 15 new community
buildings in central Tanzanias Dodoma region. Funded by the Republic of Korea, the new
buildings were constructed by local builders as part of the Saemaul Zero Hunger
Communities (SZHC) project in three villages in Chamwino district. Saemaul means New
Village in Korean.
The ceremony in Fufu village in Chamwino district was attended by Regional
Commissioner Jordan Rugimbana, WFP Tanzania Deputy Country Director Jerry Bailey,
Chamwino District Commissioner Vumilia Nyamoga and Good Neighbors International
Country Director Namun Heo.
On behalf of the Government of Tanzania, we are very grateful to WFP and all the SZHC
development partners for their work in Chamwino District, said Regional Commissioner
Rugimbana as he guided guests around the other project villages of Suli and Chiboli. I am
promising to make sure that all levels of government, from the village to the regional level,
will take their part to ensure the sustainability of the project and that the community
continues to benefit from the support.
The US$5 million SZHC project is based on a similar programme in the Republic of Korea
in the 1970s, which contributed to poverty reduction in rural areas by using development
projects that were tailored to each community by the community itself.
Our goal is that these buildings will contribute to sustainable development for the over
12,000 residents in these three villages, said KOICA Resident Representative Joonsung
Park before the ceremony. Thanks to the combined efforts of the Government of
Tanzania, its citizens, WFP and our partners, were able to support the strengthening of
the communitys capacity through the SZHC project.
Good Neighbors International and Chamwino District Council oversaw the construction of
the new buildings, which include teacher housing and improved pit latrines at each of the
village primary schools and food storage warehouses in each village. Additionally, a
community centre and teachers office were constructed in Fufu, while primary school
classrooms were built in both Chiboli and Fufu villages. Given its supply chain expertise

Plot 113 Ada Estate Kinondoni, P. O. Box 77778, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
Telephone: +255 (22) 2197300 Fax: +255 (22) 2197303 Email: WFP.DaresSalaam@wfp.org

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and deep field presence, WFP assisted the co-ordinating partners with management of the
buildings construction.
Other activities under the SZHC umbrella included the construction of rainwater
catchment dams, borehole wells and facilities for processing sesame seeds.
We want to thank KOICA for their generous contribution and the Government of
Tanzania for its support in strengthening the capacity of these communities, said WFPs
Jerry Bailey. These new buildings, together with the wells and rainwater catchment dams,
build up the resilience of these communities and give them alternative opportunities for
when the rainfall might be too much or too little for traditional rain-fed agriculture.
In addition to supporting construction, the SZHC project helps strengthen the
communitys resilience to climatic shocks by providing additional income-generating
opportunities like animal husbandry, brick-making and sesame cultivation.
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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering
food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and
build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.
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For more information please contact:
Max Wohlgemuth, World Food Programme, Max.Wohlgemuth@wfp.org, tel. +255 692 274 729
Fizza Moloo, World Food Programme, Fizza.Moloo@wfp.org, tel. +255 784 720 022