Rither Mallewo, works for Caritas Australia’s partner in Tanzania, Diocese of Mbulu Development Department. Her passion for community development was sparked in high school, while working on a project in a village with little food and water and poor housing.   

“I developed compassion and felt that I had to help the community,” Rither says. 

Rither says Tanzania’s greatest challenge is water scarcity, which makes maintaining good hygiene and sanitation challenging – particularly in schools, which also impacts education. 

With your support, Rither works with communities to improve access to safe, clean water, focussing on improving food security as well as sanitation and hygiene services. The A+ program also raises awareness of sustainable agricultural practices, disaster risk reduction and supports the community with literacy and financial literacy training.

“Caritas Australia’s strengths-based approach works because it ensures sustainability. It isn’t a top-down approach, it’s like teaching us how to fish, which is better than giving us fish. Letting the community know that they have potential resources that can be utilised for their development is of great importance to instill feelings of commitment. 

“What inspires me most is the people we work with really appreciate what we’re doing and that builds trust which makes it easier for us to mobilise them to support us in achieving more and more.”