ABOUT TANZANIA  Situated on the shores of the Indian Ocean in Eastern Africa, Tanzania is home to 37 million people. As a coastal country, Tanzania uses its lakes as portals for trade with roughly a dozen countries. Tanzania relies mainly on agriculture to support the economy, but with varied topography, crop cultivation is limited to only four percent of land, which contributes to the country's status as one of the poorest countries in the world. Tanzania recognizes education as an important asset to improving this stance, teaching English in schools in order to ensure communication with the international community, and Kiswahili to ensure that a connection to culture is maintained.

The Pathways to Higher Education program in Tanzania conducted research on marginalized populations in East Africa's universities including rural residents and women. The research investigated equitable access for women to universities and retention rates within universities in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. The research showed that policies should be revisited or created to support women from rural areas in all aspects of academics, particularly math and science. Steps should be taken to increase the retention of current students as well as outreach to prospective students.

The research has been widely distributed and has enabled a range of universities to share lessons and deepen awareness around this work.  As a result, there is a growing understanding that institutions must change to accommodate and keep marginalized students.