Grass-Roots Socioeconomic Development In Africa

Today we have two distinguished guest from Tanzania,East Africa.Vincent Mughwai,Founder and executive director of AFROCOD and Adjunct Professor of Internatinal Political Economy and Development. And Phillip Lwiza,CPA and director of Finance for AFROCOD, which is a non-profit organization that promotes, facilitates and supports grass-root participation in socioeconomic development in undeserved-communities in Africa. Currently,the organization has its operations in the East African communities of Tanzania but seeks to expand its work to other parts of Africa.The organization's duties include promoting quality primary and secondary education for young boys and girls by providing them with educational supplies and financial assistance to meet their educational needs; conducting educational and advocacy campaign aimed to promote better health practices in the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria, cholera, tuberculosis etc.;to promote sustainable use of land, soil conservation and efforts to improve degradable land due to soil erosion, deforestation and so forth all of which affect the African rural communities whose livelihood mostly depend on natural resources. AFROCOD is also dedicated to assist local African communities to increase access to clean water by working in collaboration with other stakeholders to build water pumps and wells in areas with limited water supply. In addition, the organization promotes active participation of local communities on matters of good governance, accountability, transparency and fairness by partnering with other organizations such as the media, government agencies. We believe in the concept of human security and empowerment of individuals from the community level to take control of their own destiny especially in those communities perpetuated by the cycle of poverty and helplessness.