“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
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Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me.
Fred Rogers

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There are the usual reasons to go on a bike tour and then there are the reasons you cycle with AfriRoots, a home-grown Tanzanian biking organization with a social conscious. The tour, appropriately named Dar Reality Tour, takes namely tourists, members of the ex-pat community and an increasing number of government officials, through impoverished neighborhoods, and to important local sites and establishments. The tour single-handedly creates pathways between people of different walks-of-life, cultures and even countries.

“That’s the whole point,” said AfriRoots founder and guide, Mejah (Frederick) Mbuya. “I wanted people to see what they would not have ordinarily. I also wanted them to tour local establishments and sites as a way to bring business to the community. They [cyclists] can also think about what they’ve seen and how to improve it—some of my clients even have the power to influence decision makers.”

Last year, unsuspecting 42-year-old Jean-Marc Falconnet of Geneva, Switzerland and his partner, took perhaps the ride of their lives when they signed-up. “In one day, I can say I was not the same after, as I was before.”

“In the past, I have helped people but mostly financially,” explained Falconnet. “I said to myself that I would prefer to give money by investing it in a project where people can learn to better themselves.

“I was impressed by Mejah and the way he cared about the people, offering advice, giving money and time. I was amazed at how connected he was to the community and I felt he could make a change and be the link to the people,” added Falconnet.

The Latest news about Tanzania

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ARUSHA, Tanzania — Shortly before shipping out to Tanzania to start work with a newly formed anti-poaching organization, Kinessa Johnson visited a gun show where she spoke with a citizen journalist about her new gig.

Media

Media

The mutilated body of an albino toddler has been found in Tanzania with his limbs hacked off, the latest such killing for body parts for witchcraft, the police said on Wednesday.

Health

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There is a strange pattern to interviews in Tanzania. People on the verge of offering information stop mid-flow, pause, and then say something along the lines of: “I don’t have the data or information on that.”

Our team

  • Mejah (Frederick) Mbuya,
    Mejah (Frederick) Mbuya, Programme Director

    Mejah is a multi-talented, dynamic, entrepreneur, community organizer, presenter, environmentalist, youth activist, cyclist campaigner, avid cyclist and artist-painter. He holds a BA Hons in Economics and Sociology from the University of Dar es Salaam and has worked with an impressive variety of organizations.on.

  • Jean-Marc Falconnet Programme Manager and Administrative Officer

    Jean-Marc has had a long career in information technology service, both with small start-ups and multi-national companies such as Reuters or SITA. He is currently employed as an account manager for a renowned private bank in Geneva. Jean-Marc has experience in film making and website creation. He is a skilled photography amateur and jazz fanatic. Jean-Marc, originally from Guadeloupe, was born and bred in Switzerland.

  • Sia Kessi
    Sia Kessi Programme Manager & Treasurer

    Sia has over 15 years professional experience in marketing, communications and public relations. She works in Switzerland as a Web projects manager. She holds a BA Hons in Social Anthropology from the University of Sussex. Sia is of Tanzanian origin and regularly visits her family there.

Testimonials

  • $125 per month In total, I home approximately 150,000 shillings a month (not including expenses), which is equivalent to approximately $125 dollars.s place.

    John Kusenta Citizen
  • Coffee experience So many people in the middle class here don’t drink coffee or drink from imported brands so if we produce a quality product, we may be able to cater to a part of the market being missed

    Alex Ngugi Entrepeneur
  • Garbadge The people throw garbage and waste into the river because they have no alternative place to dispose of it.

    Zuberi Rashid Citizen