The Pemba Foundation was established in 2010 by documentary filmakers who visited Pemba Island to make an episode of the series Saving the Ocean for US public TV channel PBS. The people now involved in the Pemba Foundation are described here.

Who We Are

Pemba is the second largest island in the Zanzibar archipelago, a part of Tanzania, in the Indian Ocean off mainland Tanzania in East Africa. The largest island is known as Zanzibar by most of the world, but its local name is Unguja; it's about 25 miles directly across the channel from Dar es Salaam, the Tanzanian city on the mainland. Stone Town, the ancient Arab trading city at the heart of Zanzibar City and a World Heritage site, is the center of Unguja's thriving tourism industry. 25 miles north of Unguja is Pemba -- 40 miles long and 15 miles wide, with a population of about 600,000. There's little tourism, and people live mainly by fishing and farming.

Pemba Island is one of the poorest parts of one of the poorest countries in the world. The Pemba Foundation works to enhance the lives and livelihoods of Pemba's people.

Approaching Pemba Island from Unguja in the rainy season

Saving the Ocean production crew at Pemba airport in 2008. Left to right: Peter Hoving (videographer), Carl Safina (series host), Hassan Ali Gharalla (sound recordist), John Angier (producer), Valentina Cucchiara (underwater camera).