TechRoots Zanzibar

Overview

Your partner for sustainable environmental solutions

TechRoots Zanzibar is a bold, community-driven initiative aimed at empowering local communities in Zanzibar through digital innovation, environmental justice, and climate resilience. The project integrates cutting-edge technology with indigenous knowledge systems to tackle climate vulnerabilities, promote environmental stewardship, and ensure inclusive access to climate data and resources.

Zanzibar, a small island region in Tanzania, is experiencing disproportionate impacts of climate change—from coastal erosion and coral bleaching to increasing food insecurity. Yet, the communities most affected are often the least informed, least represented, and least equipped to respond. TechRoots Zanzibar will close this gap.

Zanzibar Coastal Erosion

Project Objectives

  • Digital Environmental Justice Hub:- Create a community-centered digital hub that offers real-time environmental data, educational resources, and digital storytelling tools to amplify local voices and promote environmental justice.
  • Climate Monitoring & Citizen Science:- Train local youth and community members to use low-cost climate sensors, GPS tools, and mobile apps to monitor environmental changes such as sea-level rise, deforestation, and pollution.
  • Green Skills & Digital Literacy:- Build climate-resilient futures by equipping 300+ youth with green tech skills—including GIS mapping, data visualization, drone piloting, and sustainability storytelling—through hands-on workshops.
  • Policy Advocacy Through Data:- Use collected environmental data to inform local policy-making. Collaborate with government and NGOs to create open-access climate dashboards and influence sustainable development plans.
  • Eco-Storytelling Lab:- Develop a digital storytelling lab where community members produce multimedia stories—video, podcast, VR—highlighting their experiences and resilience in the face of climate change.

Target Audience

  • Youth and young adults (ages 15–35) in Zanzibar
  • Women-led community organizations
  • Local farmers, fishers, and climate-impacted households
  • Educators and grassroots environmental leaders
  • Local government and policy stakeholders

Key Activities

Activity

Description

Digital Hub Setup

Launch a climate data portal and community training center with solar-powered computers and Wi-Fi.

Climate Justice Bootcamps

Train community members in environmental monitoring, mobile data collection, and eco-journalism.

Deployment of Sensors & Tools

Install open-source climate sensors (e.g., air/water quality monitors) in 5 pilot locations.

Eco-Storytelling Hackathons

Host multimedia storytelling sessions to produce digital narratives and amplify unheard voices.

Policy Forums

Organize town halls and policy briefings to connect grassroots data with decision-making.

Expected Impact

  • Reach over 10,000 people across Zanzibar through direct and digital engagement.
  • Train 300+ youth in climate tech and environmental data collection.
  • Build local capacity to collect, analyze, and act on climate data.
  • Establish community-owned digital archives of environmental change.
  • Promote inclusive participation in climate policy and resilience planning.

Budget Estimate (USD)

Category

Description

Amount (USD)

Technology & Equipment

Solar-powered laptops, sensors (air/water quality, GPS), tablets, drones, servers

$35,000

Digital Hub Infrastructure

Wi-Fi, power backup, venue renovation and furnishing

$15,000

Training & Workshops

Materials, trainers, honorariums, catering for workshops/bootcamps

$20,000

Personnel & Community Facilitators

Project manager, local trainers, tech coordinator, media consultant

$25,000

Eco-Storytelling Lab

Cameras, audio recorders, editing software, VR equipment

$10,000

Community Outreach & Policy Events

Town halls, awareness campaigns, promotional materials

$5,000

Monitoring & Evaluation

Impact assessments, surveys, data analysis, third-party audits

$5,000

Contingency & Miscellaneous

Transport, permits, unforeseen costs

$5,000

TOTAL ESTIMATED BUDGET $120,000

Sustainability Strategy

  • TechRoots Zanzibar is designed to be community-owned and self-sustaining:
  • Train-the-trainer models ensure long-term knowledge transfer.
  • Partnerships with schools, local governments, and NGOs anchor the project.
  • Digital tools and open-source tech reduce long-term costs.
  • Eco-entrepreneurship modules will help youth launch green startups using acquired digital skills.

Partners & Stakeholders (Proposed)

  • Local NGOs: ZALA (Zanzibar Association for Local Action), Pemba Climate Watch
  • Academic Institutions: State University of Zanzibar (SUZA)
  • Government Entities: Zanzibar Ministry of Environment and Blue Economy
  • Tech Partners: OpenStreetMap Tanzania, Ushahidi, Global Forest Watch
  • International NGOs: WWF Tanzania, UNDP Small Grants Programme
TechNology
Zanzibar Sea Machines

Why Zanzibar? Why Now?

Zanzibar, a vibrant archipelago rich in biodiversity and cultural heritage, faces escalating threats from:

  • Coastal erosion.
  • Deforestation.
  • Rising sea levels.
  • Unsustainable tourism.
  • Plastic and marine pollution.

Despite these challenges, there is a lack of localized environmental data, limited tech infrastructure for climate action, and minimal inclusion of local voices in decision-making processes.

Call to Action: Join the TechRoots Movement

Zanzibar’s environmental future is not just a local issue—it’s a global imperative.

  • Are you a tech innovator, environmentalist, donor, or policymaker?
  • Are you passionate about empowering underrepresented voices in climate action?
  • Do you believe digital equity is critical to climate justice?

Join us in growing TechRoots Zanzibar. Be part of a new wave of digital climate leadership rooted in justice, grown with tech, and powered by community.