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Fighting for animals through food systems change across Tanzania

Silhouette of two people, an adult with a child, holding hands in front of a tree with a moon in the sky, and a cow nearby, all enclosed within a square border.
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At AWENET, we're reducing animal suffering through compassionate food systems.

We work with schools, chefs, and communities across Tanzania to make plant-based eating accessible and nutritious. 

We do so by training chefs in vegan cooking, helping schools grow their own food, and showing Tanzanians that choosing plants over animal products is better for their health, their community, and the environment.

Support our work
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A group of diverse chef adults and children in white chef uniforms, smiling and laughing, standing behind a table filled with various traditional African dishes and ingredients, at the African Plant Based Restaurant Festival.

WHO WE ARE

Our mission is to make animal welfare a shared community responsibility and a core part of Tanzania's development. Across the country, farmed animals face immense suffering in industrial systems, while poverty and climate change create additional pressures.

AWENET's approach centers on compassion and healthy living. We believe the most effective way to reduce animal suffering is by changing what people eat.

Get to know us
Silhouette of a tree with a family walking hand in hand and a cow underneath, inside a rectangular border with rounded edges, black background, and white figures.
Four children washing and chopping leafy greens in a kitchen with large bowls of greens on the counter.

WHAT WE DO

We focus on farmed animals because they experience suffering in the largest numbers. By promoting plant-based diets and alternative proteins, we advocate for several things at once: for  animal welfare, environmental sustainability, food security, and public health.

We collaborate with schools, colleges, restaurants, and hotels through three key programs focused on dietary change and advocacy:

School Outreach

We introduce vegan cuisine to schools and reduce animal-based meals through initiatives like Meatless Mondays, while ensuring students receive nutritious, affordable plant-based options.

We also help schools establish their own gardens, reducing food costs while teaching students about plant-based entrepreneurship.

Vegan Chef Training

We train practicing chefs and culinary students in vegan cooking techniques and menu design, increasing plant-based options available in restaurants and street food across Tanzania.

Hospital Partnerships

We partner with hospitals to promote plant-based diets as a way to reduce diet-related diseases and zoonotic disease risks in communities.

Learn more about our programs

OUR IMPACT
since 2022

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A smiling female chef in a white chef's coat and checkered hat holding a rectangular white plate with a carved watermelon decorated with orange slices, with a colorful backdrop of various fruits and vegetables.

845

chefs

trained in vegan cuisines and recipes

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Children and adults sitting at a long blue table, eating a meal with plates of food including rice, vegetables, and soup, inside a sheltered building with windows and some artwork or decorations on the walls.

25

schools

transitioned to 100% plant-based menus

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Young children enjoying a meal together, eating leafy greens, indoors with large windows in the background.

20

schools

supported in gardening and plant-based adoption

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A man holding a bunch of bananas in front of a group of attentive young people seated in a classroom.

5 

schools

adopted Meatless Mondays