Tanzania is a country with around 45 million inhabitants, with most people living from self-sufficiency, bartering and occasional work. "Overall, development there is contradictory: the economy is growing, population is on the up and general mobility in the country is increasing, but social deprivation is also on the rise - for example, slums and drug and alcohol dependency," explains Weidmüller Sustainability Manager, Dr. Eberhard Niggemann. "Less than 25 percent of people have access to electricity and the insufficient access to education and the employment market is also one of the greatest problems facing Tanzania."

New prospects for disadvantaged young people

In order to be able to overcome these challenges, various aid organizations are run by the Catholic diocese for the city of Mbeya, which is considered the main transport hub in the country. Some of the sponsorship measures take place in what is known as the St. Almano Complex, while other measures, especially the educational ones, are held in the Mbeya Trade School, a vocational school a little way outside the city. The school currently offers courses in electrical installation, car mechanics, carpentry, metalwork and tailoring. But these facilities also rely on external help. Weidmüller has been supporting both facilities in line with "Weidmüller helps" since earlier this year, which was organized by missio, the Catholic missionary body based in Munich. This gives disadvantaged young people training in electrical engineering and regenerative energies to provide them with new prospects, Weidmüller also contributes to improving their home situations.

Support for the expansion of training in the field of electrical engineering and photovoltaics

Thus far, the support has allowed completion of the electrical installations in the two buildings of the St. Almano Complex. This centre acts as the base for a wide range of sponsorship programmes and as a training centre for the vocational school teachers. The commitment is also supporting the expansion of electrical engineering training and improvement of qualifications in photovoltaics and regenerative energies at the Mbeya Trade School.

Electrification and training as the basis for a perspective on a permanent employment

The latter is particularly important to allow even small solar power systems to be installed in future. "Thanks to support from Weidmüller, the Mbeya Trade School was able to set up a pilot course in regenerative energy for the first time. This will turn the school into a one-off training centre for solar energy which is unique in the Mbeya region," explains Boniface Kyalo, Head of the Mbeya Trade School. A donation has allowed some initial training materials to be purchased. "The concept of electrification was very important in this respect. But without training, the people have no electricity and no prospects for permanent employment," explains Niggemann. "After all, you need light and electricity in order to guarantee an adequate supply in order to, for example, prepare food or study in the evenings."

Further support through conversion to digital Christmas cards

This is followed by sound training, as only by learning a profession can you guarantee self-sufficiency in the long term. Thanks to the commitment and support of Weidmüller both in terms of structural engineering and in terms of hands-on assistance on site, we have made a substantial contribution to the skills and education of young people and supported the environmentally-friendly and economic development of the region. By sending out Christmas e-mails instead of cards this year, we have already saved another EUR 5000 which we have donated to this cause.