Registration

                LVC  was founded in 2006 and registered as a community based organization in in Ukerewe Island in 2009, in July 2012  LVC was fully registered as a Non Governmental Organization in Tanzania

                                                          Achievements;

                                 Some of our major achievements in since 2006

• Through different outreach projects we have played a key role in fighting Malnutrion and Malaria in Ukerewe Island community through  education on  malaria and  importance of Nutrition, in these projects we have provided poor families with mosquito nets and seeds to grow  nutritios food
• We have through our LVC Village ambassadors ,and LVC   center managed to integrate hundreds of children in schools, families and community( Through our  very successful programs  Education, Health and Child Protection )
  
• We have helped  many children access medical   help , persons with HIV/AIDS   from vulnerable families access treatment and counseling
• We have set up a children centre where   over 40 vulnerable children from the community come to our centre for Nursery Education, breakfast and other basic needs
• We have helped children and families have access to justice, claim and get rights eg inheritance, land etc                                       

                         Ukerewe Island                        

             Ukerewe is the largest Island in Lake Victoria which is the largest tropical  and second largest fresh water lake in the world.. The Island covers  an area of 6400 km² out of which 640 km² is land and the rest 5760 km² is waters of Lake Victoria There 38 island the biggest Ukerewe and the district administrative town is Nansio. Out of the 38 islands, 15 islands are permanently inhabited while the rest serve as makeshift habitats for fishermen. The district is located to the South of Ilemela and Magu Districts, to the East Bunda and Musoma Districts in Mara Region, to the South West Sengerema District, to the West Kagera Region and to the North the Republic of Kenya and Uganda.

                      Population and Culture

According to the population census of 2002, Ukerewe district population is 260,831 of which 128,842 are males and 131,989 females. the population growth rate is 2.9% which is higher than the national average of 2.6%. The population density is recorded at 408 persons per Sq km with dependency ratio of 97, sex ratio (Number of Males per 100 Females) and Average Household Size (Person per Household) was 6.2. However based on the 2.9% growth rate, the current population is estimated at 310,269 persons where 157,257 are females and 153,012 are males.

The predominant tribes in Ukerewe district are the Kerewe, Kara and Jita. Historically the Jita are said to have migrated from Mara region. Other tribes include Sukuma, Wahaya, Kurya, Waha, Chagga and Jaluo.

    Culturally, the Kerewe are patrilineal in which men pay bride price. Bride prices are normally paid in form of money or livestock or both. Major religions in Ukerewe are Christianity and Islam. However there are varieties of Christian denominations that include the Roman Catholic church, Seventh Day Adventist, Assemblies of God, African Inland church, Jehova Witnesses and the Church of Followers, but there are minorities that are neither Christian nor Moslem who follow traditional Kerewe beliefs and practices such as the “KUTAKASWA” ritual in confidentiality and RICHUMU.

       Some of the traditional beliefs and practices are being discouraged because they have had negative effects to the community. For instance, the KUTAKASWA ritual whereas one spouse dies the remaining spouse is supposed to perform sexual intercourse some days after burial with an outsider (OMWESYA) as way of purifying oneself. It is believed that if cleansing (kutakasa) is not done, several deaths will occur among members of the deceased family. This practice however contributes to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS and STI_S. Following extensive community sensitisation against HIV/AIDS and STI_Skutakaswa practice has fallen to less than 5% of population.

                             Fishing

                 Life on Ukerewe Island evolves around fishing, the economy of the Island depends mainly on fish trade, the types of fish available include among others the Nile perch, Tilapia, Dagaa, Furu, Ngere, Nembe, Mbofu and Ningu. Fishing methods include Gill netting, Dagaa Seining, Long lining, Hand lining and Beach Seining (prohibited by law).

                             Tourism.

Opportunities for tourism exist but have not yet been fully exploited nor promoted. More efforts are needed to promote tourism in the district so as to improve the economic wellbeing of the peoples of Ukerewe. Some places for Tourism are as follows:-

• Halwego Handebezyo (Highest Point)
• Chiefs Headquarter at Bukindo
• First Roman Catholic Church at Kagunguli
• Chiefs Grave yards at Kitare
• Rubya Beach
• Murutunguru Ginery
• Bulebeka Dancing stone
• Traditional Court (Imbanda ya Nyamaruru)