Program Brief: USDA Chakula Chetu Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement Program in Tanzania

In 2017, USDA funded a Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement (LRP) program, called Chakula Chetu, meaning Our Food in Swahili. Chakula Chetu complements Project Concern International (PCI), a Global Communities Partner’s McGovern-Dole program in Tanzania, FFE III. Emphasizing local capacity strengthening to promote long-term ownership and sustainability, Chakula Chetu delivers a cost-effective and timely school feeding program through local procurement of maize, beans, and sunflower cooking oil and enhanced market linkages for local suppliers to supply food for school meals. Over the life of the project, Chakula Chetu will use USDA-provided funds to procure 399 metric tons (MT) of locally grown and purchased foods to complement daily school meals for 18,291 preschool and primary students from 16 schools within Butiama District in the Mara Region.