ACT Alliance

Formed just three years after independence in 1964, the Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service (TCRS) was established in order to provide emergency relief and humanitarian services to refugees and asylum-seekers. Operating first as the Tanzanian country programme of the Lutheran World Federation's Department for World Service (LWF/DWS) and then (beginning in 2006) as an autonomous organization and LWF/DWS affiliate programme, TCRS has gained a reputation as a unique organization - indeed, virtually an "institution" rather than a NGO - which commands considerable respect in Tanzania and beyond.

Since its inception, TCRS has assisted more than two million beneficiaries and has successfully implemented countless different projects in more than half of the regions in mainland Tanzania. Today, TCRS continues to provide relevant humanitarian support and sustainable development opportunities to an estimated 300,000 people annually, making TCRS and its subsidiary programmes some of the longest serving, largest, and most active NGO operations in the region.