Slideshow: Hillary Clinton in Dar Es Salaam Today

Mme. Secretary had a busy day in Dar Es Salaam today. We see her visiting a women's farmimg cooperative where she planted a tree rather expertly without getting the knees of her slacks dirty, at a power company by a jet engine that generates electricity, at a high level meeting on nutrition and her 1000 Days Initiative, visiting a health center, as well as at the new U.S. Embassy where she laid flowers at the memorial, on the embassy grounds, for those killed in the 1998 bombing there. We also have some photos of the crowds lining the streets to see her motorcade pass. She is a hero in these parts ... well-loved.

We love her too. Godspeed Mme. Secretary on the rest of your journey. As always, we are proud, grateful for your service, and praying for your safe return home.

Secretary Clinton's Remarks With Dr. Mwajuma Mbaga at the Buguruni Health Center Dar Es Salaam

Remarks With Dr. Mwajuma Mbaga at the Buguruni Health Center

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, watches a skit on gender-based violence at the Buguruni Health Center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Sunday, June 12, 2011. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, POOL)

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

June 12, 2011

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DR. MBAGA: Good afternoon all. Thank you everybody for coming at our health center. I’m very much happy to welcome Secretary Madam Hillary Clinton and the USAID delegate to our health center. You are warmly welcome, feel at home, feel at (inaudible) here at Buguruni. (Laughter, Cheering, and Applause.) Madam, I hope you are enjoying very well your tour in Tanzania, especially in Buguruni Health Center. As we have seen in those who are patients and our health workers, we are happy to see you, to be with you today. You are welcome. And all of us, we appreciate your leadership on women and health issues. You are welcome again. I’ll take this opportunity to welcome, to make few remarks at all (inaudible). Welcome, Madam. (Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much. Habari gani

(Audience echoes.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much Dr. Mwajuma for everything you’re doing here at this center. (Applause and Cheering.) And I am so pleased on a Sunday to see many of you, because we are very proud of the center. And I am also grateful that Mrs. Naomi from the ministry of health is here.

And there are a number of our American partners, from USAID, our mission director and the head of our global AIDS coordinator, Dr. Goosby, Ambassador Goosby, who walked around with me as well as Assistant Secretary Carson, Ambassador Lenhardt. And we are here for a very simple reason. We strongly support the excellent care that is provided here at this health center.

I understand that on an average day – now, Sunday is not an average day – about 500 patients come here a day looking for healthcare and family planning services. They include pregnant women, ready to give birth, mothers bringing their small children in for checkups, people receiving treatment for malaria and HIV, and so much more. Thanks to this center, many women survive childbirth who might not have before. Many children survive childhood and grow up to be health workers or other productive citizens of this country. And those with HIV stay healthier and stronger.

These are the kinds of outcomes and results that we want to help you achieve, because we strongly believe that improving health for communities begins with improving health for women and girls, particularly pregnant women and their babies, because that is where it all starts. And so the United States is proud to support this center and we’re proud to have a partnership with the Government of Tanzania.

And what we have done in the United States Government is to try to better coordinate all of our health programs. I was saying to the doctor that for too long we had a program on immunization that you went one place to get, then we had a program on HIV/AIDS you another place to get, and then somebody came perhaps to you about malaria, and then when it came to maternal and child health – we have tried to combine all of those programs in a center like this one through our Global Health Initiative. We want to ensure that when a mother brings her children to a clinic she can get all the critical care she needs here rather than being told, well, we only do malaria here and so you have to go somewhere else to be tested for HIV. We want it all in one place.

The first principle of our Global Health Initiative is to focus on women, girls, and gender equality, and that is something that we very much appreciate about this center, because when women are healthy their children are healthy, and the family is healthier, and so is the community. So we have significantly increased our financial commitment to maternal and child health and family planning, and we are taking steps to address the economic, cultural, social, and legal barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing healthcare services.

And we are doing one more important piece of health, and that is gender-based violence. Gender-based violence is a violation of human rights. It also is an obstacle to a country’s political and economic development. It discourages women from going out into the community, from participating freely and securely in the outside world, and it is a physical and mental trauma that fuels the spread of disease, including HIV. That’s why the United States believes that monitoring, preventing, and responding to gender-based violence must be a core part of both the Global Health Initiative and PEPFAR.

So I was very pleased that last year we provided $38 million for this work in more than 28 countries. And we’ve announced an additional $60 million, making PEPFAR one of the largest investors in fighting gender-based violence worldwide, and I thank Dr. Goosby for his visionary leadership. (Applause.)

Now, Tanzania is one of the countries we are going to focus on. And today I am proud to announce that PEPFAR, part of the United States Government, is launching a three-year, $24 million initiative to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in Tanzania. (Applause and Cheering.) Now, the reason we are doing this is because the Government of Tanzania has shown a strong commitment. I commend the ministry of health for its efforts, and I commend the ministry of community development, gender, and children. And what I just saw upstairs – how many of you have seen the play about gender-based violence that is put on by the actors here? I just saw it. It is so powerful, I was crying, and I was so happy when the husband decided to take care of his wife instead of beat her. (Applause.)

We look forward to a future here in Tanzania and around the world where women and girls are healthy, valued, and safe. And we look forward to our strong partnership with Tanzania and with this health center. Now, I know that Dr. Mwajama has already lobbied me as we say in Washington. (Applause and Cheering.) I can see why she’s considered quite a leader, because she’s already telling me what else that you need here at the health center. (Laughter.) And I like to reward people who are already doing what needs to be done, because you do it not only for yourselves and your patients, but you set an example, doctor. You set a model.

Now, I have said all day today that we see Tanzania as a model for development. We are investing a lot of money and effort, and we think first and foremost it will be good for the people of Tanzania, men, women, girls, and boys. But it will also be good for Africa. I want people all over Africa to say how do we do what Tanzania is doing to take care of their people, and that’s what I think you can do here in this country. Thank you all very much and God bless you. (Applause and Cheering.)

Secretary Clinton's Remarks at the Symbion Power Plant in Dar Es Salaam

Remarks at the Symbion Power Plant

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

June 12, 2011

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SECRETARY CLINTON: Good afternoon, everyone. I am delighted to be here with all of you, and especially to be at this place where you can see the future of Tanzania taking place. I want to thank Paul Hinks for his comments about how he became involved in Tanzania, and I want to thank Pike Electric for their partnership, and GE, as well. And I am delighted to be with the minister of energy and minerals, as well as my colleague from the foreign ministry. And I thank Daniel Yohannes for his leadership of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

I find that standing in front of a very large jet engine, which is what I am now doing, one that will bring electricity to thousands of homes here in Tanzania, is a good metaphor. Because Tanzania is taking off. And you are taking off on so many fronts. But one of the most important is improving access to electricity. And that really means expanding what is possible with reliable, affordable electricity. Hospitals can stay open without fear 24 hours a day. Factories will be able to compete. New businesses and industries can start and succeed.

Today, the 14 percent of Tanzanians who have access to the electric grid struggle through blackouts and brownouts. Some people generate their own power at three times the cost, but most do not have power.

President Obama and I created the Partnership for Growth to help countries identify obstacles to growth, and mobilize our resources in meeting them. And Tanzania is one of four countries in the entire world, one of only two in Africa, that were considered eligible to be the first partners for growth. And we are eager to help Tanzania deliver reliable, affordable electricity to its citizens. That is why the MCC is such an important partner in this effort. I want to really acknowledge the great work that the MCC is doing, along with our private sector partners, to extend power lines across the country. (Applause.)

The island of Zanzibar, with about three-quarters of a million people, gets its electricity from a 30-year-old submarine cable to the mainland. And when that cable falters, the power goes out there, too. Through MCC, we are helping Tanzania build a new cable with more than double the capacity of the old one.

Now, building power lines and electric grids may seem to some like boring, dry, technical work, not something that the press would be interested from either Tanzania or the United States. But, in fact, if you are looking for the single biggest reason why development is not succeeding in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, it is because of the lack of energy, and the inability to deliver electricity to people where they can use it.

Now, in Tanzania we have found a government and a people that understand this. And I know how important it is to finish what we started together. I am convinced that this will not only be good for Tanzania, but Tanzania will be a model, not just for Africa, but for the rest of the world.

Now, we want to take every opportunity to help Tanzania overcome all of the obstacles to growth that you face with rural feeder roads, and we just visited a very important site for our program called Feed the Future. Then farmers can bring more products to market. With a more effective fee and payment system, Tanzania can attract investors who will provide even more access to electricity and energy.

But even as we expand Africa's energy supply, we need to ensure we are not worsening another obstacle to growth: climate change, and the effects we are already seeing here in Africa and elsewhere. Now, plans like this one, which runs on natural gas, can help us make the transition from coal-fired power to clean energy sources. This jet engine runs on natural gas. Tanzania happens to have natural gas. So this is another example of a good win-win strategy. The next major UN climate conference will be held in Africa, in Durban, South Africa. And the progress that we are making on food security, access to clean water, public health, and many other issues, will only be sustainable if we work together to mitigate and respond to climate change.

We believe in partnership, and we believe in competition. You heard Paul say that when MCC put out the bid to build power lines across this country, a lot of companies competed. But two American companies won. We are very proud of that because we, frankly, want more American companies competing for business in Africa. And we are going to take that message back to America, and urge them to get out here and compete for these foreign projects. (Applause.)

Now, these companies are not only investing in Tanzania, but, as Paul said, they are investing in the people, first and foremost. I love the idea that Symbion and Pike Power created a center, a school, to train Tanzanians in cutting edge technical skills. Now, are these some of the young men who are -- and others who are working there? Please stand up. I am very proud of you. Please, stand up. Very good young men and women. Yay! (Applause.)

I know that some of the local staff have even been sent to the Northwest Lineman College in Boise, Idaho. And I appreciate that you are coming back and sharing those skills. Thank you, sir.

I know that among the people who are being trained is a young woman, Agnes Shiu. Agnes? Now, Agnes wasn't hired to install power lines. Agnes was hired to become a cleaner. But she saw the other trainees studying to become linemen, and she knew immediately that's what she wanted to do. And so, Agnes became, as far as we can tell, the first and only linewoman working in Tanzania today. (Applause.)

These are jobs, these are electricity opportunities that I am absolutely committed to support. I told Paul it is one of the great puzzles, why providing electricity remains so hard for so many countries. In our own hemisphere, one of the great efforts we are undertaking is to help Haiti recover from that terrible earthquake. They didn't have a lot of energy before; we are going to try to help them have energy, going forward. But in country after country that wants to develop, electricity remains unavailable.

So, I don't want to put a lot of pressure Symbion and Pike Power, and on the linemen and the government, but this is important for everybody. If you do it right, we are going to go and tell that story across the world. And we are going to point to the successful efforts right here in Tanzania. Because it's one more story of a country headed in the right direction. Tanzania is a success story, a peaceful, growing democracy. And we are inspired by your progress, and we are very proud of the work of our partners on the ground. And we cannot wait to see the lights come on everywhere across your country. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)

Secretary Clinton's Feed the Future Announcement at Mlandizi Farm Women's Cooperative

Feed the Future Announcement at Mlandizi Farm Women's Cooperative

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

June 12, 2011

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SECRETARY CLINTON: I am very honored to be here, and I want to thank the prime minister for joining me for this special announcement. And I also want to thank members of the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania, the Upendo Women's Group, SyndTrack, and our many other Feed the Future partners. And to the women I met just now at the greenhouse, I am so delighted to be with you. (Applause.)

This is a wonderful place to be, and a very good example of our work together in Tanzania at a women's cooperative farm, supported by USAID and located in the southern growth corridor, which is exactly where we believe profound transformation can occur in your country, because where women learn the best ways to grow and cultivate their own nutritious food which they use to feed their children and sell at market, we see progress. And I appreciate the opportunity, along with the prime minister, to plant a sweet potato seedling. (Applause.)

I am aware that most people in Tanzania go to work on plots like the ones we see around us today. Three out of every four people in this country earn their living through agriculture, and they produce twenty-five percent of the economy. But they often labor against quite difficult obstacles. They don't have good roads in rural areas, so it is difficult to get their products to market. Low crop productivity can also be a challenge. And while the country is largely self-sufficient in maize, the main staple crop, many farmers don't have the tools they need to use their land as efficiently as their counterparts in other countries around the world.

We also know that regional and seasonal crop imbalances contribute to serious food shortages and under-nutrition. And we learned this morning at the roundtable the prime minister hosted that 4 out of 10 young children do not get all the calories that they need, and the nutrients required to grow up healthy.

Now, these issues are serious and urgent. But I believe for every challenge in Tanzania there is a solution in Tanzania. This country has a vibrant agricultural industry with a sizable number of women contributing to it. And you have this southern agricultural growth corridor, an area with rich farm land and a network of roads and rail lines that lead to the port in Dar es Salaam.

And, most importantly, there is a great partnership here. The people are working together to improve their agricultural productivity. And the United States wants to be one of those partners. This country is home to our largest Millennium Challenge Corporation program. It is also one of the only four countries in the world that has been chosen for a new economic development initiative we are calling the Partnership for Growth. (Applause.) There are only two countries in Africa.

And today we are here to celebrate Feed the Future in Tanzania. This is our, United States, commitment to support country-led plans that address the root causes of poverty, hunger, and under-nutrition. And we are working with Tanzania's agriculture and food security investment plan.

The accelerated investments I am here to announce today demonstrate our commitment to you. Subject to congressional approval, the United States will invest nearly $70 million in agricultural development and food security in Tanzania over -- (applause). This is a 14-times-greater investment than we made in 2008 and 2009. And we are also investing in nutritional programs. And this morning I was pleased to announce we are increasing our nutritional funding 4 times over to $6.7 million. (Applause.)

Now, to take advantage of Tanzania's fertile farm land, we will pool more than 80 percent of our Feed the Future investment in this southern growth corridor. We have decided to concentrate our resources here in line with the country-led vision laid out by the government of Tanzania. We are working with the private sector, the World Bank, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, and others. And we want to focus on results for people.

I was pleased to hear that already the diversity of crops here is making a difference in the nutritional status of your children. And we think that is a very good result. We hope that you will become not only a model for the country, but you will become a model for all of Africa. (Applause.) The women here are pioneers and leaders in taking agriculture across the continent.

This is the first time that we have announced a country moving to the next phase of Feed the Future. We have a lot of confidence in Tanzania, in your government, but mostly, Prime Minister, in your people. (Applause.) We plan to continue accelerating our investment in support of the priorities that Tanzania has identified, and we look forward to continuing our strong partnership with the government and the people of this beautiful country.

Thank you, and asante sana. (Applause.)

Hillary Clinton: Wheels Down Dar Es Salaam

Arriving in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania for leg two of her 2011 African Tour, Mme. Secretary is greeted by Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Membe and a celebratory folkloric performance that clearly delights her.

Secretary Clinton: Wheels Up from Zambia

Following an appearance at a new pediatric teaching hospital in Lusaka and the launch of the U.S.-Zambia Chamber of Commerce, there was a meet-and-greet with the families of Embassy Lusaka (always a fav with me, and this one does not disappoint in the photo department - too cute) and on to the airport for departure. When I see this remarkable woman receiving a salute it fills my heart with pride. Godspeed, Mme. Secretary, on this next leg of your trip! Next stop: Dar Es Salaam.