geita
Geita is a town with about 55,000 residents in town, and 800,000 in the surrounding rural areas. The roads are dirt, the conveniences sparse, but nonetheless a town rapidly gaining importance.
Geita, once a tiny community, has grown in population and importance largely due to the gold mine on the outskirts of town. The gold mine has brought economic prosperity to Tanzania, providing jobs for many, and causing an influx of people coming to Geita. But with this prosperity has come problems. For the first time, a number of people have disposable income and don’t know what to do with it. Unfortunately, this often leads to alcoholism and prostitution. The number of people in Geita with HIV/AIDS is estimated to be as high as fifty percent.
Geita is situated about 15 miles south of Lake Victoria, and is on the main road from Mwanza to Bukoba (a main port and entryway into Uganda and Rwanda). The road from Mwanza to Geita has recently been paved, leading to an increase of traffic into and through Geita. In January 2011 Geita became the capital of newly created Geita Region, bolstering plans to further develop the city.
