Care for Africa is an Australian foundation working in the rural communities of the Tarime district in northern Tanzania. We were founded in 2006 by Diana Butler OAM and we have returned every year since.
Our work spans water, health, education and women’s enterprise, delivered together rather than separately, one community at a time. It is run day to day by a Tanzanian team, guided by an Australian board, and carried out by volunteers who give their skills at their own cost.
Fostering growth and self-sufficiency in communities, through clean water, health, education, and women’s enterprise.
Thriving communities with access to clean water, health care, education, and opportunities for growth.
How a chance conversation in 2006 became twenty years of work in Tarime. Diana Butler’s story, in her own words.
The Australian board responsible for governance, strategy and financial oversight.
The volunteers and specialists who plan, fund and deliver the programs from Australia.
The people on the ground in Tarime who run the programs every day.
Every bore, every classroom and every women’s centre in Tarime was asked for by the community it serves. That is how we have always worked, and it is why it lasts.
The Care for Africa Foundation operates in rural communities in Tarime, Tanzania. Care for Africa works in these key areas: water, health, education, and women’s enterprise. At the core of the organisations operations is an emphasis on capacity building to assist communities in breaking their cycle of poverty.
For 20 years, Care for Africa has walked alongside rural communities in the Tarime District of Tanzania. We have learnt that real change does not come from what we do for people, but from what we do with people. Our work has always been about partnership; listening, learning, and ensuring that communities have the tools, skills, and opportunities to thrive long after we have gone.
Founded by Diana Butler OAM, Care for Africa is dedicated to fostering growth and self-sufficiency through clean water, health, education, and women’s enterprise. What makes our approach unique is that these programs are organically linked and implemented together, one community at a time. This holistic model ensures that each community receives a strong and lasting foundation for change.
Under Diana’s leadership, and with the guidance of our dedicated Tanzanian Country Manager, Abdallah Obedi, Care for Africa has achieved some of its most significant milestones:
We have developed an integrated model for community development that combines water, health, education, and women’s enterprise – empowering people to build a future of dignity and opportunity. This model reflects the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which are interconnected and implemented together in each community we support. By rolling out this model one community at a time, we ensure deep, sustainable impact that endures for generations.
As CEO, Diana Butler OAM has positioned Care for Africa as a pioneering force in sustainable development, aligning its mission with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and international best practice.
I am committed to creating lasting change and leaving behind a legacy to ensure a life free of poverty for all. My legacy will be a foundation of trust, respect, empathy, and care, empowering individuals to create lasting change for themselves and their communities.
Diana’s contributions have been widely recognised. In 2012, she received the Tasmanian Telstra Business Women’s Community and Government Award and was named a national finalist, later serving as a judge for these awards. In 2016, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her humanitarian work in Tanzania. She is also a Paul Harris Fellow of The Rotary Foundation, the recipient of the 2021 University of Tasmania International Alumni Award, and an inaugural inductee into the Tasmanian Nurses Honour Roll.
Alongside her international work, Diana continues to serve her local community as After-Hours Nurse Manager at the Launceston General Hospital.
