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Setting
Mikungani is a rural village in the Arumeru district, approximately 2 hours outside of Arusha Town. Burdened by poverty, the people of Mikungani struggle to maintain a community that can provide all its members an opportunity to thrive.
The area is dry and dusty with hot days and cool nights. The landscape provides little in the way of produce, although some maize and sunflowers can be seen growing from plots of the most persistent planters.
Many young adults in Mikungani have not finished secondary school. They find themselves unemployed and will often be forced to work in the dangerous Tanzanite mines. Those fortunate enough to attend school are crowded into classrooms understaffed by teachers.
Unfortunately, many villagers have an inadequate diet consisting mostly of ugali (maize like oatmeal) and mchiza (spinach/collard greens), with an insignificant intake of meat, fruit, or vegetables.
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