Earlier this year, I travelled to Tanzania with supporters who have been investing in communities in the rural Shinyanga region for almost 30 years.
I’ve spent almost a decade working at CARE now, so I know our work well and believe in our approach passionately. But seeing that work first-hand was something entirely different.
Over three jam-packed days, we met women, young people, farmers and community groups who have taken part in the programme. They have received training in farming, savings groups and business development.
I expected to hear stories about increased income, improved harvests and successful businesses. And I did.
But what surprised me was that, time and time again, people kept coming back to something deeper: confidence.
Meeting Juliana
One of the first people we met was Juliana, a poultry farmer and community leader in Ngundangali village.
We gathered in the yard of her home, surrounded by chickens, goats, neighbours and members of her savings and loans group. Juliana told us how she had started poultry farming with support from our local partner REDESO and CARE. She started out with just 15 chicks.
Three years on, she has built that into a flock of more than 200 and a business that supports her family and has paid for a beautiful new home.
But what struck me most wasn’t what she’d built for herself, it was how she was helping others to do the same.
Juliana has become a mentor and leader within her community. Other women come to her for advice. She supports new farmers and shares the knowledge she has gained. Her success has inspired others to start businesses of their own.
Throughout the trip, I saw this pattern repeated again and again. Knowledge wasn't staying with one person. It was spreading.
Knowledge creates confidence
In village after village, we met people who were putting new skills into practice and then sharing them with others.
I realised I kept seeing the same chain of events:
👌 Knowledge leads to confidence.
👍 Confidence leads to action.
👐 Action creates opportunity.
🫶 And opportunity creates change.
One of the most powerful moments of the trip came during a gathering of women's groups in Negezi village. One group summed up their transformation with a simple phrase:
Before, we were not this beautiful. Now we shine."
The women weren't talking about appearance. They were talking about confidence, dignity and self-belief.
Women leading change
Across the communities we visited, women were leading savings and loans groups, running businesses, mentoring others and helping shape the future of their communities.
The women spoke about the businesses they had started and the income they were earning. They talked about sending their children to school, improving their homes and accessing healthcare.
But what moved me most was when they described how life had changed within their families.
They explained that financial pressure no longer rested solely on their husbands. They were contributing to household income, making decisions together and solving challenges as a team.
One woman described their home as being more peaceful. It was such a simple observation, but it stayed with me.
We often measure development through income, harvests or business growth. Those things matter enormously. But listening to these women, I was reminded that the real impact is often found in everyday moments: less worry, less conflict, more opportunity and a greater sense of security about the future.
The more stories I heard, the clearer it became that empowering women creates benefits that extend far beyond the individual.
When women thrive, families thrive. And when families thrive, communities thrive.
The power of long-term commitment
The programme we visited is supported by a group of nine people based in the UK and France who have been investing in communities in the Shinyanga region for 27 years – first through Oxfam and, for the last four years, through CARE.
Seeing the impact of that long-term commitment first-hand was incredibly powerful.
The changes we witnessed weren't the result of a single project or a short-term intervention. They were built over years of partnership, trust and learning.
Returning home hopeful
As the trip drew to a close, I learned a word in the regional language: Bambilija. It is used to describe supporters, and translates roughly as "uplifters".
I love that description because it reflects so much of what I witnessed during my time in Tanzania.
I met people with extraordinary determination, creativity and ambition. I met women who are transforming their lives and helping others do the same.
The challenges facing these communities are significant, not least because they are on the very frontlines of the impact of climate change. But I returned home feeling hopeful.
What I witnessed in Tanzania reminded me that lasting change doesn't happen because someone arrives with all the answers. It happens when people have the knowledge, confidence and opportunity to create change for themselves.
And that is the kind of change our supporters make possible – not just today, but for years to come.
