Ngara is one of the six districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Karagwe District, to the east by the Biharamulo District, to the south by the Kigoma Region, to the northeast by the Muleba District and to the west by Rwanda and Burundi.
According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, the population of the Ngara District was 334,939.[1]
Ngara is located in North Western Tanzania near the borders of Rwanda and Burundi. Its elevation is approximately 6,000 feet and is considered to be in the highlands of Tanzania. It is an agricultural area and local crops include bananas, passion fruit, papaya, groundnuts, beans, coffee, maize and a variety of vegetables. The local population also keeps livestock, such as cattle, goats and chickens. Ngara has four seasons: two dry seasons from June-September and January-February with two rainy seasons from October-December and from March-May. During dry seasons there are sometimes strong winds/hazy air and temperatures vary between 18 and 30 degrees Celsius, depending on the time of day or night. During the rainy seasons, sudden and heavy downpours may occur daily, lasting from a few minutes to several hours. The rain is sometimes associated with strong winds, floods, mud, fog and temperatures may range between 12 and 26 Celsius. Warm clothing during rainy season is highly recommended for Ngara. Ngara town is small with an estimated population of 8,000 to 10,000 people. The international community is small with the Anglican Church of Tanzania, Diocese of Kagera and four NGOs employing a handful of expatriate staff. Occasionally, there are also visiting staff, consultants and missions.
Tanzania’s national and official language is Kiswahili, a Bantu-based language which has been accepted as the lingua franca. English is an official language alongside Kiswahili. Its usage is, however, rather limited to official functions, offices, institutions of higher learning and a few other places. Generally, English is understood on a limited scale in many commercial centers. In Ngara, knowledge of basic Kiswahili that one can use for greetings and social interactions is very helpful and very much appreciated by Tanzanians. The local language in Ngara is Kihangaza, which is very similar to Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, the languages of Rwanda and Burundi.
Market day in Ngara town is Saturday. Vendors come from surrounding villages to sell seasonal produce. During the week, the availability of produce is more limited. The Ngara market is adequate and most basic items are available. Available fruits and vegetables include tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, spinach, green peppers, pineapple, papaya, mango and oranges. Major staple food crops such as maize, bananas, rice, potatoes, beans and milled products such as wheat flour and sugar are readily obtainable in Ngara. Availability and prices fluctuate seasonally.
Ngara District is administratively divided into 17 wards:
Ngara District received several hundred thousand refugees from Burundi beginning in 1993, and Rwanda in 1994. A number of refugee camps were established to accommodate the refugees. The largest camp was Benaco, which was opened to accommodate over 200,000 refugees from Rwanda in 1994. Benaco was closed in late 1996, however, smaller numbers of refugees have remained in the district since that time. Lukole camp for Burundians is the best known of these camps.
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