By Thane White, Missionary to Tanzania

Since we have arrived, we have been amazed at how much the prices for everything have increased since our last visit here in 2008. Everything from cooking oil to rice to clothing and fuel have increased in cost; as much as 30-50% in my estimates, and they continue to steadily increase. Diesel has gone from $1.20 to $1.37 per liter just since we have arrived in March, for instance. Because we used the 2008 figures for our budget, this inflation effects us directly. We have made the necessary belt tightening adjustments and are okay, for now.
But this is not the case for the Tanzanians. Many of them couldn’t make ends meet in 2008, and certainly can’t today.  In the urban areas, the average Tanzanian day laborer who is lucky enough to have a job makes between $3.12 and $6.25 per day, or approximately $70-140 per month. The salaries for a government sector job starts at $100 per month for unskilled work, $218 for college graduates and $436 for masters level education. These salaries represent the “good jobs” that people wish they had. I have converted these to U.S. dollars to make it easier to understand. All numbers are my best efforts based on the best information I can find. There is a lack of concrete information, as is the norm for many of the African countries.
Unemployment is estimated at 50%. Charlotte and I have calculated that the cost to feed a Tanzanian family of four 2 meager meals per day is $67 per month. This includes only the most basic foods: maize, rice, beans, onions, carrots, tomatoes, greens (like spinach), salt and cooking oil. For the most part, they have the same meal every day, as there is not enough money to afford variety. Porridge for breakfast (rice or corn mush), skip lunch, then rice or Ugali (corn meal cake) and beans, plus the veggies for supper. Optional items such as bread, tea and sugar, milk and some meat would add an additional $40 per month. That would add a cup of tea with sugar, and a slice of bread for lunch, plus 3-4 spoon-sized chunks of gristly meat with your beans twice a week.
Many of the larger urban areas have access to water, or live on the side of a mountain where there is more rain and mist than the rural areas. Because of this, many of the people have a garden spot where they grow some vegetables for themselves. They also eat the “greens” of potatoes, pumpkins, and many other plants. They don’t like these much; they are considered “poor folks food,” but they are forced to eat them, nonetheless.
Now if you take the lowest cost for food, $67, and the lowest wage per month, $70, you can see that there are going to be big problems with the family budget. Rent for a 6’x 6’ stick and mud house with four bare walls, a thatched roof and dirt floor is approximately $10. Upgrading to a 6’ x 10’ house would run $13. This includes no utilities, furniture, or kitchen items, and little security. This is the condition a great many families find themselves in. They don’t want to live in a home like this, but many are forced to. How they manage to find money for clothes, diapers, shoes, school uniforms and fees, medical expenses, etc. are beyond me.
Most do without. Many of them have but one set of wretched clothes. They miss meals often. The average villager faces an even tougher living situation. There are little to no jobs away from the larger cities, and no prospects for work. As a result, the unemployment here is much higher than in the cities. They are unable to travel to the cities for work and or relief because of the distance and high cost of bus fare. They live off the land, many having herds of goats and cattle. A few try to grow maize or sorghum, but the average rainfall is very low, and has been even lower the past few years because of the drought that has gripped the entire region. Surprisingly, only a very few tribes hunt and eat the wild animals that migrate through the region. They look like food to me! If I was hungry, I think I would be looking for a Thompsons Gazelle or other such animal to spear.
I was talking with a youngster the other day when out of the blue he said “I go to bed hungry quite often without a worry, yet you wazungu (white skinned people) are scared to miss one meal. Why is that?” I thought of this statement later as I just finished snarfing down a piece of pizza and was reaching for another. Two questions popped into my mind “Feeling satisfied? Worried you won’t get enough?” I left the second slice of pizza and went to my room to pray.
I asked God why the situation is so desperate here and many other places in the world.
Why does it have to be this way? God, will you please intercede and change this desperate situation? What do you want me to do?
I have been reading in Isaiah 58 where God says He delights when we “share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and (do) not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
That’s where I will start.