Situated in Usa River, Arusha, MS TCDC is a convening space, knowledge sharing and learning hub that attracts various
interest groups – academia, civil society, youth, artists, activists, public servants - who are passionate in popular struggles
for transformed, just, democratic and a sustainable world. The overall mission of MS TCDC is to facilitate learning aimed
at contributing to improved leadership and democratic governance.
Our existence dates back to 1967 and was formalized by the execution of a bilateral agreement between Governments of
Denmark and Tanzania in 1973 to initially provide Kiswahili language skills and cultural orientation to Danish Volunteers,
who came to work in different parts of Southern Africa.
The then called Danish Volunteer Training Centre (DVTC) from the 1970s into early 1990s engaged more widely in the
discourse of African development by providing short courses to development workers and in 1991 it’s name was officially
changed to MS TCDC (Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke Training Centre for Development Cooperation).
In the 2000s MS TCDC saw yet another transformation as it started offering a diploma course in Development Studies;
we also got our first female principal; expansion of facilities (construction of new library) and the Development Studies c
ourse was upgraded to B.A Degree.
In the 2010 MS TCDC’s focus was around Good Governance, Democracy, Movement Building and with this saw the birth
of a new Academic Program; Accreditation from NACTE for our BA and MA courses; and the first graduation ceremony
of Bachelor of Arts in Governance and Development.
2017 saw MS TCDC celebrate 50 years of impacting the development world.
Over the period of its existence TCDC has played a notable role in the capacity strengthening of the civil society sector in
Africa, enabling CSOs and other social justice actors to become key driving forces for positively influencing democratic
governance and working towards a better quality of life for all.
The Centre has over the years transformed from a Swahili Training & Cultural Orientation Centre for Danish Volunteers to a
Training Centre for African Development Workers then to Training Centre for Civil Society Organizations and currently positioning
ourselves as a Pan African Partner-led Social Enterprise for Social Justice.
Mission and Vision:
Vision Statement:
Citizens actively engaging in popular struggles for a transformed, just, democratic and sustainable world.
Mission Statement:
To enhance the capacity of citizens and institutions to engage in struggles for social justice through facilitative learning,
exchange of ideas and knowledge curation within a conducive learning and convening environment.
Core Values:
We believe in and promote an open culture of Inclusiveness. We heartily welcome all who visit with us and seek to demonstrate consistency in all we do. We value Integrity, Humility and Innovation and are committed to living these qualities.
1. Inclusiveness: We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to attain their full potential as a human being. We support actions that promote human dignity, equity, equality and respect for diversity.
2. Welcoming: We are happiest to receive guests, participants, students whose presence in our midst is cherished.
3. Consistency: We try to keep the highest standards in all that we do - all the time
4. Integrity: We are devoted to principles of uprightness, trustworthiness and dependability. We are committed to a culture of zero tolerance to corruption.
5. Humility: Our natural state is one of service to those who accord us this privilege and we approach this privilege with modesty
6. Innovative: We are constantly looking to maximize our impact by changing our practice and experimenting with new ways of conducting our activities on an ongoing basis.
Strategic Areas of Focus:
We find ourselves embarking on yet another journey that sees in place a new strategy 2018-2022 .
The core mandate of TCDC is to facilitate learning and knowledge sharing aimed at contributing to improved leadership and democratic governance, in the fight for social justice and people-centered, sustainable development in Africa and beyond.
This is realized by delivering appropriately designed learning opportunities whether these be in the form of structured or customized training actions or convenings and other creative encounters, mainly involving civil society practitioners.
a. Providing a conducive and safe space for meaningful engagement, networking and movement building: in this focus area, we aim to promote interaction between diverse actors (activists, movement leaders, policy makers etc) in the continuous search for evolving policies, mechanisms and systems that help transit vulnerable communities into more resilient, durable and better endowed citizens.
b. Enhancing learning and offering knowledge curation: the overall objective of this strategic area is to strengthen knowledge around governance and the leadership capacity of development actors to effectively and sustainably engage in social justice struggles;
c. Building on and further enhancing the existing culture of philanthropy in the African setting and contributing to the creation of an enabling policy framework for philanthropy: this strategic objective aims to enhance philanthropy - with an accent on local philanthropy, through practical training for capacity building, learning from what works in respect of African Philanthropy and actively promoting local resource mobilization. The crafting of partnerships that enhance the possibilities for sustainability will be a special focus of this strategic area.
d. Institutional capacity and sustainability of TCDC: this objective has a core ambition to further grow and develop TCDC into a semi-autonomous, dynamic and sustainable learning/knowledge facility, committed to and contributing to the transformative ideals that will create a better world for all.