The Tanzania Domestic Workers Network (TDWN) has created a platform for amplifying the rights and enhancing decent work for domestic workers in the country.

This was recently revealed by Demetila Faustine, Wote Sawa Project Officer, who explained that the network comprises 12 members, which are four domestic workers’ organizations and eight groups located in five (5) regions of Morogoro, Pwani (Bagamoyo), Mara (Musoma), Dar es Salaam, and Mwanza. 

The network was formed in 2022 by Wote Sawa Tanzania through the support from WFT-T,  after realization that domestic workers in the country face multiple challenges that accelerate indecent work and the need to have their voices amplified to curb the problems.

Demitila went on to say that the goal of the network was to empower and strengthen women and girls in domestic work for them to play a significant role in advocating the rights of domestic workers and at the same time empowering them to act against violations of their rights.

“Since the inception of the network, we have managed to conduct different activities such as capacity building for members and local government authorities, media engagement, empowering domestic workers and employers, participating in strategic meetings with key stakeholders, and advocating for the ratification of ILO Convention No. 189,” Demetila added.

She further said that through the said activities, the network has achieved some milestones such as facilitating access to services for domestic workers, eg creating a channel for reaching more domestic workers in Tanzania and linking them with existing structures (LGAs) to enhance protection and promotion of domestic workers’ welfare.

In collaboration with other stakeholders, Demetila said they managed to advocate for the increase of minimum wages for domestic workers through commemorations, media sessions, and strategic meetings which led the government to enact the new minimum Wage Order (GN No. 687 of 2022); which increased the minimum wage for domestic workers. The said law came into force from 1st January 2023.
She also added that through the project, they managed to promote decent work for domestic workers through signing of employment contracts and awareness-raising.

_“Up to now, 159 domestic workers and their employers have entered into written employment contracts; (80 in Bagamoyo, 35 in Morogoro, 30 in Musoma and 14 in Mwanza). Along with signing of the employment contracts, domestic workers are also conducting door-to-door sessions to empower colleagues and their employers with information on domestic workers’ rights,_” She said.

Regarding advocacy initiatives, network members in collaboration with other stakeholders conducted and participated in several interventions towards ratification of the ILO Convention. They conducted three meetings in Dodoma with Members of Parliament; Conservation, Hotels, Domestic and Allied Workers Union (CHODAWU); International Labour Organisation; Association of Tanzania Employers , and representatives of domestic workers and other likeminded organizations.

_“Up to now, the ratification agenda has been presented to Parliament and it is our hope that upon ratification and domestication of the said convention, domestic workers will be able to enjoy decent work and proper legal protection,”_ she added.

Regarding strategies being used, Demetila said TDWN applies different means to ensure targeted outcomes are achieved including capacity building, networking, use of social media, fostering coordination, engagement, participation, and collaboration.

The main network’s agenda are: Promoting decent work for domestic workers through salary payments based on the new minimum wage order (GN No. 687 of 2022); ratification of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention No. 189/2011 and Signing of employment contracts.
The network has been helpful in doing joint advocacy on ratification of the ILO Convention and payment of the minimum wage for domestic workers.



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The Tanzania Domestic Workers Network (TDWN) has created a platform for amplifying the rights and enhancing decent work for domestic workers in the country.

TDWN Pushes for Domestic Workers’ Rights

In a bid to eliminate gender-based violence within indigenous communities, Mimutie, a women's rights organization, launched an Anti GBV Coalition for indigenous communities (CAIC-Tanzania), in Arusha recently. 

The launch was conducted during a two-day training on gender-based violence for organizations dedicated to prevent GBV within indigenous communities at Lush Garden Hotel in Arusha from the 4th to the 5th of July 2023. 

The activity, implemented under the project “Linking the chain to end GBV against women and children in pastoral communities” and funded by WFTT, was attended by eight organizational leaders and community representatives from indigenous communities.

Speaking during the event, Rose Njilo, the Executive Director for Mimutie highlighted that the purpose of the two-day event was to establish a coalition and provide training to NGOs working on preventing GBV within indigenous communities.

She said that the Coalition's primary aim is to comprehensively eliminate GBV within indigenous communities and foster an environment where instances of violence are non-existent.

“The coalition will function as a forum that unifies NGOs and individuals dedicated to prevent gender-based violence against women and children within indigenous communities in Tanzania,” Njilo said.

She further pointed out that while many organizations in Arusha are dedicated to GBV prevention; the challenge lies in the absence of a platform that unifies themand resource constraints faced by many organizations in their implementation efforts.
She underlined that the Coalition's collaborative efforts would facilitate shared implementation strategies, enabling both organizations and individuals to operate effectively at a higher level.

"We have formed this Coalition to amplify the strength of our GBV fight within our community. Moreover, the Coalition is committed to extending its influence to include broader areas in Tanzania, encompassing a variety of communities,” Njilo added.

CAIC Tanzania boasts of a membership that includes diverse organizations, ranging from women-led entities to Maasai organizations, media outlets, youth groups, and more. At present, the coalition comprises ten organizations situated in Arusha.

Also during the event, several in-depth discussions were conducted on how to address challenges that the indigenous community in Tanzania faces, the influence of religion on GBV and strategies to combat violence.

On the other hand, religious leaders provided insights into the directives of their respective faiths that discourage GBV. However, it was acknowledged that numerous cases of violence are reported within religious contexts.

Mimutie is a women's rights organization seeking to promote the rights and voices of women and girls from pastoralist communities, particularly the Maasai in Ngorongoro, Arusha, Simanjiro, Longido, and Monduli.




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In a bid to eliminate gender-based violence within indigenous communities, Mimutie, a women's rights organization, launched an Anti GBV Coalition for indigenous communities (CAIC-Tanzania), in Arusha recently. 

Mimutie Launches Anti-GBV Coalition for Indigenous Communities

Shinyanga Region has the highest prevalence of child pregnancies (34%), high school dropouts (500+girls), and the highest prevalent occurrence of child marriages (59%), various researches have revealed.

It is unfortunate, however, that several challenges make it difficult to address the problems that continue to push for unsafe learning environment for school children, hence fueling child abuse. The setbacks include a lack of knowledge among children about their basic rights, pressure from peers that leads to early sexual activities, limited access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, insufficient education on life skills and self-esteem, and poor cooperation between school authorities, teachers, students, families, and government departments.

To address the challenges, Youth and Women Emancipation (YAWE) with support from WFT-T implemented a project titled “Keeping School Children Safe in Shinyanga”.

The project, which was implemented in three administrative wards of Puni, Nyida and Didia, was aimed at improving the well-being of adolescent students by helping them lead healthier and empowered lives. Specifically, the project was aimed at increasing the number of peer activists advocating for child rights and protection and reporting mechanisms of child abuse cases in schools.

The project was also meant to increase the level of cooperation between parents, teachers, and the community in taking concerted action to protect child rights, through awareness creation.

Moshi Jilalage, Project Coordinator explained that as part of implementation, the project facilitated the formation of seven (7) school-based child protection and safety desks and child junior councils. These were formed using new national guidelines and monthly sessions between school peer activists and all school children were organized to educate them on SRHR and life-skills, as well as addressing their personal concerns through one-on-one discussions. 

The project also led to the implementation of mentorship programs for school peer activists to raise their self-esteem and confidence and help them connect with community change agents, to strengthen collaboration in advancing the agenda on ending violence against children.

Through the project, monthly dialogues between parents, teachers, and community change agents were organized to discuss different forms of violence against women and children, including online abuse and its associated risks. Dialogue with school teachers, school committees, and parents were held to help curb harmful norms and emphasize positive relationships within the community.

As a result of the project, there has been an increase in children’s confidence resulting in the number of child abuse cases being reported in schools to go up. For example, at Buyubi Primary School, five child abuse cases were reported by school children compared to one case reported in the previous phase of the project.

This was facilitated by increased level of awareness among adolescent students, particularly those at risk, on different forms of violence against children and increased confidence in championing child protection and rights in school.
_“YAWE has revived my dream of becoming a great leader in Tanzania and helping a large number of people to know and demand their rights and speak against all forms of violence against children and women. I will be an advocate in revealing incidents of violence and defending the rights of children at school and society level,”_ said Amina,  

On the other hand, school children have started demonstrating behavioral and attitude changes through participating in meetings or matters concerning their lives. They are currently participating in Junior council and child protection and safety desk meetings conducted at school for discussing different matters concerning the wellbeing of children at school including child rights protection. These changes came as a result of mentorship sessions on child rights, responsibilities, and forms of child abuse, implemented by the project.  

When it comes to parents, there is an increase in the provision of responsive caregiving to their children both at home and school. Some parents are visiting schools to make follow ups on the academic progress and welfare of their children, a situation which is different from the previous time.  This positive development is attributed to increasing awareness among parents and guardians.

_“My parents used to beat and prevent me from attending school. They did not want to buy me school uniforms and other school needs. It was very difficult for me to request them to buy school needs since they used to shout at me every time.
“Now, things have changed after they attended YAWE sessions for parents. They are now supporting me and have bought me school uniforms and other school necessities,” _explained Gideon, another pupil from Puni village.

The project also resulted in increased effort, accountability, and commitment to take action against child abuse cases by school authorities. The project implementation has seen six out of eight schools posting child rights posters in classrooms to ensure that each student is aware of his/her rights, and knows the right channels for reporting gender-based violence. 

On the other hand, the project also identified and trained 90 (50 females and 40 males) peer activists in schools, who are advocating for child rights and protection. The school peer activists are championing child rights through Junior Council meetings and safety desk meetings conducted on a monthly and weekly basis. This has led to the reporting and addressing of five cases at the school. 

Rehema Kenerd, a peer activist at Puni Primary School said, “We are now aware of violence against children and we have decided to lead the movement to end violence against children. At our school, we always meet with safety desks and junior council members to discuss the situation of children in terms of violence and we motivate and encourage each other not to hide any case of abuse.”



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Shinyanga Region has the highest prevalence of child pregnancies (34%), high school dropouts (500+girls), and the highest prevalent occurrence of child marriages (59%), various researches have revealed.

YAWE: Keeping School Children Safe in Shinyanga

Awareness raising to community members through parenting and caregiver groups has greatly stimulated change in perceptions towards women and girls and reduced child marriages in Ilola ward.

This was revealed by community members during a discussion on the contribution of the project which was done at Ilola ward. 
Members of the Parents and caregivers’ group said that the knowledge they received through the TUWALEE project implemented by RAFIKI SDO has helped to change the thinking and attitudes of the community on the rights of women, girls, and children in general.

They explained that various efforts made through this project helped to reduce patriarchy to a large extent in the areas of the ward. There has been a great awakening for women and society in general has started to change its attitude towards them.

TUWALEEE project which was funded by WFT-T aimed at building awareness on parenting skills and practices in families and communities to reduce the risks and incidences of violence against women and children. The project used strategies of engaging local structures in addressing violence against women, child participation, male engagement, and skillful parenting.

They said that before the project, oppressive traditions encouraged children to marry early but through the education that has been provided, it has helped to reduce child marriages. Children are no longer married at a young age and harassment has decreased significantly
I got married at a very young age(14) and suffered a lot of abuse in marriage. When I return home, I am told that I am bringing shame to the family, I should go back to my husband and I have no one to tell. Narrated Sarah Luhunde

They added that before awareness it was seen that a woman speaking in front of men or in public (eg meeting) was not a normal thing, and even the women themselves did not have that courage.

In our community, If a woman stands up in a meeting to make a point, she is not given the chance to contribute. Even if you force yourself to speak, you will be questioned by your husband at home. Therefore, a woman thinks it is better to stay silent to avoid problems. But the situation has changed now. Many women attend public meetings, they speak in front of men/public without fear. The ability to speak with confidence has really increased"

Similarly,Tatu Lubinza explained that in the past, the issue of girls going to school was a challenge. A parent thinks it is better to educate a male child than a female child._ "I am a victim of that. For example, I passed my Form four exams and I was selected to continue with my college education at Bunda Teachers College. My father refused to support me to go to college. He told me that he should use those resources to educate my brother. For me I should get married. So, all my dreams ended there. But the situation has changed now. Due to this project, many parents have become aware and are allowing their children to go to school"_. Explained Tatu.

Speaking about male transformation, they said that in the past, male children does not do any housework because they grew up knowing that all housework are women's work. But after awareness now the boys have started to cooperate and help their wives with housework.
_“I used not do any work at home. I believed that all work should be done by women. Now I have changed and I help my wife with all the work at home”._ Narrated Paul James

On the issue of inheritance, we used to see that a female child is not entitled to be given anything. Only male child. currently, women are also getting their right to inheritance. 

_“We were living with men who were selfish, not self-aware, but now the project has helped to change them. They have started to know themselves”._

Advising on how to continue to reach a large part of the community, they said more education should be provided to community members.
_"In order to continue to increase awareness in the community, awareness should be improved, especially by using approaches that are compatible with the local community, including sports and bicycle races that bring many people together in those areas" _Advised Paulo

On his part, Shinyanga DC Social Welfare officer also advised that traditions, customs and practices that suppress the rights of other groups are unacceptable. He emphasized that when they see violence or harassment, they should report it immediately through the right channels.

_"Our traditions and customs are good, but there are some traditions that continue to provoke the violation of the rights of others. The government will not agree with those"

_**Bold**





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Awareness raising to community members through parenting and caregiver groups has greatly stimulated change in perceptions towards women and girls and reduced child marriages in Ilola ward.

Rafiki SDO- Changing Perceptions on Women and Children's Rights

"Stories have power. They delight, enchant, touch, teach, recall, inspire, motivate, challenge. They help us understand. They imprint a picture on our minds. Want to make a point or raise an issue? Tell a story." 

This is a powerful assertion by Janet Litherland that rightly applies to Awareness and Advocacy Interventions for Gender-Based Violence in Tanzania (Elimika na Mwajuma) project, implemented by Our Voices Against Harassment (OVAH) since 2020, with the primary goal to raise awareness about sexual violence in Tanzanian communities.

The project uses the storytelling approach, with narratives that mirror reality and speak on behalf of people who lack the courage to express themselves, help to reshape mindsets, and advocate for safer, violence-free communities.
It uses Mwajuma Simama Animation as a medium to educate and raise awareness about gender-based violence, rape culture, and sexual corruption in the community.

The first three episodes of Elimika na Mwajuma explored sexual corruption, early marriages, and rape culture. They were disseminated through social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Whatsapp, and radio, thus also challenging the misconceptions of gender-based violence.

The Mwajuma animation reveals the reality of these issues in communities, ways for society to adapt changed attitudes towards violence against women, and vivid examples of how victims can come forward and report, while also urging the society to create a better, violence-free environment for girls and women.

Elimika na Mwajuma is the continuation of OVAH’s groundbreaking animated series, Mwajuma Simama. The original series consisted of five episodes that focused on creating awareness about sexual violence. It told the story of Mwajuma, who endured sexual assault by her uncle, faced blame from those close to her, but ultimately received support to report the incident and seek help. She later became an educator, sharing her experiences and encouraging others to speak up against gender-based violence.

Elimika na Mwajuma adopted a different approach compared to Mwajuma Simama. While both animations aimed at raising awareness about gender-based violence, each episode of Elimika na Mwajuma tackled a distinct topic related to sexual and gender-based violence.
The objective was to shed light on seldom-discussed issues in our society, primarily due to a lack of awareness and the persistence of deeply ingrained patriarchal systems in our institutions and culture.

As a result and leveraging the educational power of animation stories, OVAH successfully screened the Mwajuma Simama series for 1,398 children and young women. 
Additionally, the animation reached an online audience of 180,654 individuals, with the majority falling between the ages of 18 and 35. The success of this approach, particularly among adolescents and youth, inspired the organization to do more.

During screenings, a sense of surprise and guilt among the audience was observed. Even individuals who considered themselves well-informed, including GBV advocates and feminists, realized that they had once engaged in victim-blaming by attributing blame to survivors based on their choice of clothing and other factors.

To date, a total of 3,054 adolescents, youth, and women, have been impacted, reaching over 45,524 viewers through online platforms.
Animations serve as effective and inclusive educational tools, transforming abstract concepts into tangible and relatable experiences. Visual stimuli evoke emotional responses, contributing to lasting memories. Furthermore, the digital format enables easy dissemination of knowledge in today's digital world. 

With Elimika na Mwajuma, the main aim is to transform mindsets and behaviors regarding gender-based violence, while challenging misconceptions that perpetuate its prevalence in Tanzanian society.
The engagement and responses received indicate the significant impact that Elimika na Mwajuma is having on dismantling societal norms and sparking crucial conversations.

“Generally, through training and workshops using animation content, we were able to reach and educate 1,441 children, adolescents, and women in Arusha, Shinyanga, Dar es Salaam, and Dodoma. We were able to reach more than 41,232 people by distributing the videos through an online platform. Changing mindsets and attitudes toward Sexual Corruption, Early Marriages, and Inmate-Partner Violence were observed as we engaged with the beneficiaries through offline and online methods”.

“We are proud of the progress we have made, but we recognize that there is still much work ahead. By leveraging the power of animation as an educational tool and addressing vital yet under-discussed topics related to gender-based violence, we strive to contribute to lasting social change and the prevention of gender-based violence in our society”. explained 






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"Stories have power. They delight, enchant, touch, teach, recall, inspire, motivate, challenge. They help us understand. They imprint a picture on our minds

Using Animation to Curb Sexual Corruption

Power imbalance among men and women in Shinyanga Region are fueled by cultural beliefs and male domination that has been dominating the area since time immemorial. Men/boys are arguably more powerful in different ways and are owners of everything in a home setup as compared to women. This power imbalance, at the family level, especially in decision-making, leadership, economic empowerment, formal education, and so on, unfortunately, fuels violence against women and children.

This social anomaly positions many women and girls in a precarious position of inferiority to the extent that they can't contribute fully to development from family to national levels.

In addressing the challenge, Young Women Leadership (YWL) with support from Women Fund Tanzania (WFT-T) implemented a project dubbed, _**“Mwanamke kitovu cha Maendeleo”**_Italic_ in two administrative wards of Iselamagazi and Nyamalongo, in Shinyanga District.

The overall goal of the project was to strengthen the capacity of women's groups and other women's movements in addressing power imbalance against women in villages, hence promoting decision-making from the family to the community level.

As part of strategies, Young Women Leadership used the approach of strengthening women's platform to help bring them together, build their capacity and give them a platform to discuss and raise their voices on violence against women and children.

Joyce Bernard, a member, and facilitator of Iselamagazi Ward Women Platform, one of the platforms that benefited from the project, explains how the platform is contributing towards transforming women.

“This platform was established in 2020. Its main activity is to provide education to members and the community in general on sexual violence and economic issues. As members, we used different strategies to raise awareness including our public village and ward meetings, church sessions, vicoba groups and moving house to house.

"Whenever we meet, the major emphasis in our sessions is discussions around gender violence, how to make a living through engaging in income-generating activities, and children's rights in general, including the protection of women and children," Joyce said.

Speaking on the platform's contribution, Joyce said through the knowledge they received from the platform, the situation of child marriages in their area had decreased compared to the time when the platform had not been formed. She added that members of the community now know the existence of the platform; hence they are afraid of being arrested. They know that the platform members are closely monitoring the situation and they report any signs of child marriages to the responsible authorities. She also added that the platform has helped women gain confidence and understand their rights, including the right to speak/contribute. The awareness has enabled women to believe in themselves.

**"In our community, it is very difficult for women to speak or air their views in public or in front of men. This is due to oppressive traditional beliefs and practices that exist at family level. But right now, the platform has become a place of exposure for women because when they meet, they exchange ideas, they learn their rights, and gradually they start to gain confidence. As of now, the situation has changed, women boldly stand and talk about various issues including their rights”.**_Italic_

Zawadi Hamis, a member of platform, said that the platform has helped them acquire knowledge and understanding on the importance of engaging in income-generating activities, hence reducing dependence on men, which is also a source of violence.

“Through the platform, we have created income-generating groups (VICOBA) in which we save and lend money to members. When we meet, we also learn about business. This has uplifted many women and right now they are engaging in various activities that help them earn income,” Zawadi explained.

She went on to conclude that the platform has contributed a lot in reducing incidences of violence in their communities, due to increase in awareness provided by platform members, who have become ambassadors against violence in their areas.

Regarding challenges, the platforms need to be further strengthened for them to reach more women. Also, the platforms need financial empowerment because the geography of their wards is large, so moving around them requires resources.






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Power imbalance among men and women in Shinyanga Region are fueled by cultural beliefs and male domination that has been dominating the area since time immemorial.

Women Platforms Strengthen Empowerment Drive

Media play a pivotal role in fighting violence against Women and Children, becoming the voice for the voiceless, pushing for change, and quick decision-making measures by government leaders on policies and laws to curb the problem.

Shinyanga, for a long time, has been rocked by challenges such as poor understanding by the community on issues of violence, especially against women and children. On the other hand, members of the community lack confidence and correct ways of reporting violence to relevant authorities, a move that worsens the situation. 

It is in this regard that the Shinyanga Press Club under the Women Fund Tanzania Trust (WFT-T) funding, implemented a project to promote the role of the media in eradicating violence against women and children.

Explaining the project, Estomine Hendry (Project Coordinator) said the project which was implemented in all the wards of the Shinyanga District Council was aimed at educating the community to identify various ways of reporting and keeping evidence of abuse to help the law enforcement agencies to conduct their work effectively.

He added that the project was also focused on providing education on violence as the community does not have enough understanding about it due to traditions and customs that encourage the social anomaly on women and children.

_"In the implementation of this project, some of the strategies applied involved using the media to educate communities in Shinyanga Region and other areas about violence; Using experts in training journalists on issues pertaining to violence; supporting journalists so that they can collect information and report through their media outlets issues pertaining to violence against women and children. We also introduced the team of journalists to all relevant stakeholders,"_ Estomine said.

He also added that through these strategies the project was able to reach and educate 1,327 people (704F and 623M).

Regarding the success of the project, Estomine said reports and news on violence against women and children in Shinyanga District have continued to increase, where we have had 290 newspaper articles, and 24 radio programs about incidents of violence that were broadcast and published through various media.

Similarly, the project has helped to increase the relationship between citizens and journalists, thus leading to an increase in the reporting of incidents of violence to the media.

_"Currently, if community members hear any incident of violence, they quickly contact us because they know that the issue will be reported and decision makers will hear about it,”_ said Abeid, a journalist from Shinyanga.

Regarding journalists’ understanding of violence issues, Estomine said the project has helped them gain more understanding of feminism and VAWC in general. This has led journalists to set and own the agenda in collaboration with other stakeholders.

_"Due to increase in our journalists’ knowledge in covering stories about women and children, especially in peripheral areas, some journalists from Shinyanga Region have won national and international awards for these stories,"_ explained Estomine.

The project has also helped the government to recognize the power of the media in fighting violence against women and children and cooperation with government officials such as social welfare officers has increased. 

On the other hand, the project has helped by availing equipment that support journalists in their work such as cameras, and press jackets. This has led to an increase in the efficiency of their work.

As a result of the increase in media reports on violence, the community in Msengwa ward has enacted bylaws to deal with acts of violence.
Also, some girls have returned to school, and parents and guardians have gained awareness to send children to school. Children have been given the right to use their Junior Councils and other structures to report incidents of violence.

Similarly, media reports have helped the government and stakeholders to implement/provide basic social services that meet the needs of marginalized women and children such as water, health, electricity, communication projects, construction of police stations to help cases of violence, increasing the motivation of women to get involved in economic activities.

The project has also helped to establish a network of journalists against violence (TAJOGEV), which until now has 95 members. The goal is to join forces with other stakeholders and increase the scope of their work.

**“We can say that this project has contributed towards the willingness of government leaders to make the VAWC agenda a priority. We have witnessed them using their platforms to talk about this agenda”. 
**


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Media play a pivotal role in fighting violence against Women and Children, becoming the voice for the voiceless, pushing for change, and quick decision-making measures by government leaders on policies and laws to curb the problem.

Media Pushes To Eradicate Violence Against Women & Children in Shinyanga

Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) continues to be a thorn in the flesh for Shinyanga residents as it profoundly impacts the emotional, behavioral, and physical health of both children and women.  It is unfortunate that the struggle to free victims from the jaws of violence is not easy. It requires concerted efforts and collective voices as most violent incidents are exacerbated by oppressive systems, customs, and traditions that exist in the society and cannot be changed overnight. 

It is in recognition of this background that violence against women and children (VAWC) stakeholders in Shinyanga District Council, through the NPAVAWC project that is funded by Women Fund Tanzania Trust(WFTT), joined forces to ensure that fighting violence against women and children does not become a business of a single organization, but rather a war to be fought collectively.

Mr Jonathan Kifunda (Chairperson- Shinyanga EVAWC Working Group) explains how the group started, 
_“Shinyanga EVAWC Working Group is a voluntary and loose group made of more than 30 organizations implementing women’s and children’s interventions in Shinyanga District Council. The goal of its establishment is to help eradicate violence against women and children in the region". _

_“It was also established in an effort to find the best approach to implement the NPAVAWC plan at local level. Champions organizations were WFTT, Save the Children, ICS, and TAI. It became officially operational in 2021 and it is guided by guidelines that were set and agreed upon by working group members.”_

Regarding membership, Mr Kifunda said members of the working group are organizations that focus on interventions related to the prevention of violence against women and children, members of the media, and anyone interested in the group’s mission.

He added that any new member requesting to join the group is thoroughly assessed to ensure that all members stay in a common mission and agenda.

 **How Shinyanga EVAWC Working Group Works.**
 
On the group’s structure, Mr Kifunda said that SHY-EVAWC group is coordinated by a secretariat that has four pillars; prevention, response, coordination, and communication. Three of the pillars align with NPA (Prevention, response, and coordination). Each pillar has its own team and lead person. The responsibility of the secretariat is to ensure that the network operates as required and guides members in creating and managing the procedures to govern themselves.

Representing the prevention team, Veronica Masawe said that the main responsibility of this pillar is to prevent violence against women and children through awareness raising, educating community members on the right places to report incidences of violence and advocacy. 
“So far in the prevention pillar, we have 24 member organizations. We implement together as a prevention team and not as individual organizations,” Masawe said.

For the response team, Peter Amani explained that they are responsible for responding to all violence against women cases by providing support or referring victims to legal, medical and psychosocial services and also attend to court sessions of violence cases from the community.  
_“We participate in organizing legal aid sessions during major events. For example, during the Legal aid campaign in Shinyanga, we managed to attend 102 cases. The response team has been used by the government to support different issues related to response,”_ he said.

Regarding the coordination pillar, Mr Kifunda said their main role is to provide thought leadership, resource mobilizations, and opportunity finding. This is through ensuring every member of the movement plays an active role and or take up leadership on matters within their pillar.

_ “We have been conducting capacity enhancement in areas of governance, and also identifying opportunities (information, connection/linkage) available at the regional and national levels just to see how our ideas can get there,” he said, adding that -coordination has become a THINK TANK and has increased the recognition to members._
 
In terms of communication which is led by Shinyanga Press Club, their main responsibility is internal communication for members, external communication, branding members’ activities, coordination of meetings, and producing IEC materials. For external communication, the role of this section is to increase relations with journalists to support the collection of information on incidents of violence and to cooperate with journalists in identifying sources of information. This unit has helped strengthen the relationship between members of the working group and the media

Explaining the achievements from the activities of the WG, they said that it has helped having information about incidents of violence reach many stakeholders. The network has also boosted the morale of journalists resulting in them writing and publishing stories about violence.

Improving coordination among actors positioned the movement to collectively respond to overlapping issues affecting women and children, and be able to provide timely support to the communities, particularly victims of violence.

They further added that members continue increasing, which is an indication that they see the good work done by the WG. “We have been participating together in organizing major events such as Day of the African Child, International Day of Women, etc

_“The WG has become a learning platform and we are being noticed and recognized in the work we are doing. We have become a point of reference to stakeholders and donors. We managed to meet with the Minister(Hon Doroth Gwajima) during her visit in Shinyanga, Member of Parliament, RC, forum with the police on issues related to gender desk etc. The EVAWC Secretariat has become a reference point for donors. We do many things together and have succeeded in many of them. This is due to the fact that society recognizes us_” Mr Kifunda explained.

**Role of WFT-T in Strengthening the WG **

Regarding the role of WFT-T, Mr Kifunda said it has played a facilitation role in enabling actors to progressively engage, liaise and jointly organize through their shared spaces to collaboratively address VAWC issues, in an empowering and intersectional way. WFT-T coordinated and organized events where feminist movement actors discussed possibilities of influencing policies that favor women and children’s rights through organized learning platforms.  

 He added that there has been a learning platform for the group that has been supported by WFT-T to help members learn.  WFTT has also funded the working group and its members through grants for the implementation of different projects. “We really appreciate WFT-T for this support”
 
On sustainability, Mr Kifunda said that as a group, they realize that the WG has to be sustainable, so they have started the transformation processes which includes detaching the WG from WFT-T and changing mindsets of members, and increasing fundraising efforts.

Along with the success, there are some challenges including WG need to have a broad understanding such as capacity building in communication eg documentation of cases, inadequate resources etc

WFT-T believes that building collective work through women's and children’s movements is an instrumental strategy for knowledge sharing, collective action, and deconstructing power between women, girls, and children and beyond in different contexts, hence bringing the expected change.


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Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) continues to be a thorn in the flesh for Shinyanga residents as it profoundly impacts the emotional, behavioral, and physical health of both children and women

Stakeholders Join Forces to End VAWC in Shinyanga

Women in Shinyanga have been primary victims of Gender Based Violence for a very long time, due to the proliferation of Sukuma patriarchal system, cultural norms and values among other factors, that regard women as a weaker group, thereby fueling the social anomaly.

Surprisingly, the number of reported cases is very low compared to reality on the ground because women fear being ostracized by their community or worsen the situation by reporting their husbands to the village or ward administration.

Rosaria Edward (37), a resident of Ilola Village, Ilola ward in Shinyanga District Council, is one of many victims of Gender Based Violence (GBV) who have lived to endure and hide the painful truth of their married life. Beatings, economic abuse, and neglect have become part and parcel of their lives, with biased arbitration effected by their families leaving their husbands to get away with their hideous actions, without any legal action being taken against them.

Rosaria revealed that her life has been one of enduring the brutality has been subjected to by her husband, especially during the harvest period where her husband used to sell all the harvest that the family would have realized and spends the money with other women while leaving his family of five children without food.

_“My husband used to sell all the produce we harvested every season without even caring about the needs of the children at home. Every time I tried to ask him why he sold all the produce when the family needed food, he beat me to a pulp,”_**Bold** Rosaria explained

She added that in 2020 they harvested 120 sacks of rice, but the husband sold them all and used the money he got to marry another wife and abandoned his family, leaving Rosaria to raise the children alone.

Rosaria said that her life changed for the better after meeting community facilitators from the TUWALEE Project under the RAFIKI-SDO organization, that is funded by the Women Fund Trust (WFT). The encounter was an eye-opener as she can now report acts of violence that her husband has been subjecting her to for a long time. 

_“The community facilitators have helped me to realize that I can get help if I report the violence acts to the government. The education they gave us through the groups of parents and caregivers has helped many women in our ward. We are no longer afraid to report cases of violence and until now, I have reported the violence perpetrated against me to the Community Development Officer of Ilola Ward_**Bold**,” Rosaria said

Rosaria, on behalf of Ilola residence, expressed gratitude to RAFIKI-SDO and the TUWALEE project for the enlightenment that increased awareness and opened their eyes, while requesting that this the initiative spreads to other areas of Shinyanga Region, to increase awareness and reduce violence against women and children.


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Women in Shinyanga have been primary victims of Gender Based Violence for a very long time, due to the proliferation of Sukuma patriarchal system, cultural norms and values among other factors

TUWALEE Project Liberates Shinyanga Women from Jaws of GBV

Being a woman and a domestic worker in Africa, especially Tanzania is a double tragedy. Despite grappling with negative attitudes and ridicule they face from society, they also have to endure sexual harassment, rights violation, and insulting names such as beki tatu.

On the other hand, the media are awash with reports of violence against women and girls, being perpetrated by their employers and other people, confirming the sad reality that it is an area where workers encounter violence while trying to earn a living. 

As if that was not enough, the increase in acts of sexual violence against domestic workers, lack of employment contracts, child labor, unfriendly working environment, and lack of life skills, are some of the challenges that continue to hog the vital but demeaned sector.

It is against this background that made Beatrice Johson and her fellow domestic workers joined forces to establish an organization dubbed ‘The Light for Domestic Workers.’

 Beatrice, who is the Director of the organization revealed that it opened doors in 2019 and they started as 15 girls, all domestic workers.
_“What pushed us the most  is that we have been working as domestic workers, hence we know and have lived those challenges,”_ she said.

Explaining how they started, she said that in 2021 they got their first grant from Women Fund Tanzania Trust, which enabled them to start implementation of planned activities. 

_“We started in five wards of Morogoro Urban District. We continued to spread our wings and now we cover 15 wards of this District. Our main beneficiaries are women and girls employed as domestic workers, their employers, and society in general,_” she added.

According to her, the main goal is to provide awareness to the community about domestic workers and help change the society’s negative perception against them, which leads to cruelty and other forms of abuse. A member of the organization, Victoria Paschal, While sharing on abuses faced by domestic workers said they include not being given their rights after work (salary), improper dismissal, harassment, lack of freedom of worship, humiliation, acts of violence, rape, beating, etc.

She further explained that the funding from WFTT enabled them to implement activities such as identification of women and girls engaged in domestic work in the area, conducting awareness to the community, holding meetings with employers, dialogues, and media programmes.

“In meetings with employers, we have been discussing and educating them on the importance and value of their employees, their rights, the laws that protect domestic workers, the effects of not appreciating/recognizing them, etc.

_“We have also been holding meetings with community members at ward level and we informed them about the rights and responsibilities of domestic workers, how they can take part in protecting them, especially reporting incidents happening in their localities,_” she said.

According to them, their efforts are bearing fruit as society's understanding of the rights of these girls and the importance of appreciating and protecting them is increasing. This led the number of cases being reported of girls who experience violence at their work increasing, and so far 30 cases have been reported.

On the other hand, employers have started giving their employees contracts and until now, more than 250 girls have work contracts.
The organization’s efforts saw domestic workers being empowered with knowledge, with their self-awareness increasing and they are now considering their work as any other normal job, hence some have started to open bank accounts to save their income. 

Mariam Jonas, a domestic worker and volunteer facilitator narrated, _“Before I got this knowledge, I didn't even dare to speak in front of people or even say that I am employed as a domestic worker. I felt that my colleagues were laughing at me. Sometimes when asked by my colleagues what am doing now, I lied to them that I am studying or I am living at my brother's place”_

She said that she is now confident and loves the work as her employer allows her to participate in seminars and trainings organized by LDW, where she is now a facilitator, empowering other domestic workers.

Despite the successes, the organization is facing some challenges such as lack of understanding, willingness and cooperation from domestic workers and employers providing false information because they don’t want them to be part of the programme.

Regarding their plans, the organization has added the economic aspect to their programmes to help domestic workers appreciate and see the value of the work they do.

The organization’s dream is to see female domestic workers’ self-awareness and confidence increasing, and the society respecting and protecting their rights.



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Being a woman and a domestic worker in Africa, especially Tanzania is a double tragedy. Despite grappling with negative attitudes and ridicule they face from society,.....

Changing Society’s Perception of Female Domestic Workers

# Stories From Our Communities

**Rose Njiro – MIMUTIE WOMEN’S ORGANIZATION. **

To say the truth, I find it difficult to find the right words to say about my journey with WFT because it is a long journey. What surprised me from the onset was the fact that although our organization was young and without a track record with meagere resources having been established just in 2012 WFT-T took an interest in our work and accorded us the respect that we thought was reserved for big organizations. Age wise we are grown however resources wise. 

It is surprising because in today’s world small community organizations are faced with considerable challenges in securing funding but for me since in 2007 when I came to get to know Mama Mary through TGNP.

The trip itself is memorable because when I first came in 2006, I was afraid of the tarmac roads! At the time we were 45 women to a meeting convened by TGNP.

We were afraid of slipping on the tarmac road being from Maasai communities, we had never seen such a thing and it looked like you could slip and fall! Mama Mary made it possible for us to come all the way to Dar es salaam. Mama Mary was then the ED of WFT. In 2017 we applied for the first time for a grant from WFT and we were awarded 10 million shillings. 

When we got that grant, we celebrated for 5 days! Because we said this much money cannot be finished! We managed to put up systems in Maasai leadership structures where we were able to influence the community through WFT grant something that has never happened before. We now have women in Maasai leadership structure so now we have a structure led by women that (39:22). 

Is actively involved in fighting against all forms of violence against women and children in Maasai communities.

**JANETH MAWINZA - WAJIKI**
I’m not entirely sure where to start but I must speak. 

The journey was long from where I started from. The struggle started when I was an entrepreneur after I had quit working for NGOs. I fell economically to a point where I was reduced to selling juice on the streets. 

One day which is in a way the beginning of my safari and this determination I was watching television and they were broadcasting a women’s festival. I was very interested to find out more so I started asking around where would I meet these women who are meeting and celebrating their successes! 

Where were they? 

Why was I on the street? 

Every time I would get back around 11:00 pm and setting down my bucket of juice and turn on the TV I would see these movement women in the midst of activism! I went to talk to my neighbour told her every time I see these women who look successful on TV meeting and discussing their issues, but where do they meet? 

She told me lets inquire. After asking around my neighbour informed me that it was true, and people say they meet in Mabibo! We agreed to go find them but my friend didn’t have bus fare, I told her I will provide the fare but we need to go and meet these bold and empowered women. That was the beginning of my going to TGNP Mtandao at Mabibo but the journey stated through those TV broadcasts.

From then I became an activist, I started seeing bold women talking, meeting with one another and there many of us who were inspired and encouraged by these women. This was for me the fountain of empowerment and activist actions. It was here that my activism started and later grew. 

TGNP steered us and taught us through seminars and trainings. Through TGNP I came to learn about WFT where we were connected through TGNP to go and do cleaning work at their offices. We went to clean at WFT and while we were going there, I said to myself we also have issues to address so I told them I come from Mwananyamala where there are many forms of violence and we have done 1, 2, 3, 4 so we also like to be part of this movement to ensure women are emancipated. 

We continued to work with WFT and Dada Mary, Just let her be called Dada Mary, let her be called a vision bearer because when she heard about our work and activism she asked where are WAJIKI? Let us look out for them.

In truth from there we started to be funded by Women Fund Tanzania in 2015, we implemented the first project and when we came back with our results they were impressed and they supported us again through unsolicited funds! 

They themselves called us! Go and continue with the work you have started! That is when we started the anti-sexual corruption (Sextortion) campaign. As for this campaign I personally cried. 

The day we were being trained through WFT where our understanding of sextortion was sharpened. I asked myself,

What is this? Because I realised that I myself was a victim of sextortion! 

I realised that the reason I was terminated from work was because of sextortion. I cried a lot that day. But I found solace and encouragement and I vowed to fight to ensure that these inhuman acts of sextortion are eliminated in our society. It was obvious that for this to happen the entire community and especially at the community level must be educated and sensitised to understand what sexual corruption is and how it affects the community at large. 
It was with great personal satisfaction to me that we were able to launch this campaign at Leaders grounds where people celebrated and vowed to fight sextortion. That day had a very personal significance for me as a woman and a s a victim of sextortion. I felt vindicated by this campaign and I believed that the monster that victimised me was finally going to be addressed! It meant that the enemy who got me fired from my work was now in the open and that others will be spared what I went through and be saved from the inhumanity and pain.




**MSAFIRI MWAJUMA MARIAM - SUKITA **

My name is Msafiri Mwajuma Mariamu.

My journey as an activist and transformed male I can say has been very successful although in the beginning the journey was filled with patriarchal mentality because I believed that a woman was meant to be subjected to the male authority, that women cannot be leaders. 

I was happy to see men being at the helm of all aspects of social life including ten cell leaders, kitongoji leaders, menders of parliament or president. Even at home I believed that a man was by default the head of the family.

I come from a family that cruelty against women was open and rampant and the example I like to give is of the history of my own mother who my father abandoned early on while I was six years old. 

From that time, I witnessed my mother playing multiple roles of parenthood, guardian, my protector, leader and my mentor in my life’s journey. 

Until I became independent. The contribution of my mother in my upbringing is the motivation for my decision to change my name from Msafiri Shabani Kamoni to Msafiri Mwajuma Mariamu. I wanted to appreciate and value the contribution of my mother. She was the role model of a leader that I looked up to growing up. 

My mother played many different roles; She took care of us, saw us through school, clothed us and fed us through income from her petty business. I still remember how she would carry me on her side, my young sibling on her back and a heavy load on her head while being handicapped on her leg and suffering from diabetes.

In 1998 I met Mama Mary while she was working with TGNP.The the time she was in the company of other feminist activists the likes of Mama Gemma Akilimali, Mama Shekilango, Mama Ruth Meena.These women were spearheading GDSS platforms where different seminars were being conducted. We were being taught many things such as extension, feminism, patriarch and strategies to dismantle patriarchal power. 

These trainings were instrumental in my growth in the agenda and in shaping my ideological understanding of inequality and its impacts. 

The training also made me to question my own role in being a defender and a proponent of women rights and in protecting those rights and saying no to violence against women and children. 

I sat down and considered how statistics show that men are leading in perpetrating violence against women and therefore I felt that I have a responsibility to educate men about the effects of violence. I realised that I was the change that was needed to start the wheel rolling because change begins with me. Since then, I have carried the banner against all forms of violence against women and the effects it has on the community as a whole. 

My message not only stops at the negative effects but I also elaborate on the benefits of believing in the inherent potential bestowed on women and girls in general.
Our Agenda 
From the beginning SUKITA decided to work with ending violence as an overarching agenda but we have also focused on sextortion and how it affects women and girls. Another related agenda is women and leadership. I firmly believe that women can and should be leaders and that from experience we know that women have demonstrated that in some instances they are better than male leaders.

**WFT contribution to SUKITA**

Women fund Tanzania trust is a liberator of community-based organizations operating on the margins of mainstream NGOs. Organizations such as ours have long been forgotten and neglected but through WFT funding we have been capacitated to acquire working tools, equipment, and infrastructure that has enabled us to reach the community much more effectively. WFT has built our capacity and confidence to get close to the government and work with them. The list is long: TAKUKURU, TAMISEMI, President’s Office and Local governments to name but a few. This has enabled us to receive a trophy as an entity that has managed to push forward and advocate for women equality agenda. As we speak WFT has enabled us to have an office with furniture. We no longer have to work from our homes. This has enabled community members to reach us more conveniently and access our services.

**Funding eco-system**

To be honest WFT is very different from other funders. This is because WFT does not discriminate. They work with different stakeholders from the lowest rungs of society. For instance, our organization comes from Mabibo locality which is a very poor neighbourhood, their funding goes to other communities that are marginalised such as Mansese, Longido, Loliondo and other remote villages. 

Their guidelines and requirements are basic where one does not require one to have higher education to apply. In most cases one just need to know how to read and right and have a transformative idea to qualify for a grant. Another thing is their accompaniment support which supports grantees to articulate their ideas in a co-creation fashion which builds our capacity as well as strengthen our ownership of the agenda we work on. 

Another aspect which I believe is very important is that even when you do not get a grant, they will still continue to pull you into the movement building processes and involving you in different interventions, building your capacity through networking and training and collaboration. But above all WFT has managed to continue to be our advisers and thought leaders in different issues and acting as our guardians whenever we need their supportive parenthood.


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On Stories From Our Communities, Women's Trust Fund shares inspiring stories of women who have benefited from their programs.

Stories From Our Communities

#JUSTICE FOR MESONII

Criminal case no 23/2022 opened at the Resident Magistrate’s court Arusha region in September 2022. Under Resident Magistrate Regina Wohilai against two accused Maasai men, Lamendea Lesirio and Kulasa Mandeya, who were faced with three counts of violence against a minor, grievous bodily harm and rape under statutory rape due to the plaintiff’s age. The case defied Maasai age old customs and a culture of violence that has spiralled out of control to include community complicity.
The plaintiff (victim), was Mesonii Kachori, a 16-year-old girl resident of gelailumwe, kitombeine ward in Longido. The court heard how on that material date of 13/09/2022 two friends and a mother in-law turned on an innocent adolescent girl, shackled with an early marriage into a brutal bondage. With tears streaming down her face and talking through an interpreter as she could barely speak Swahili, the plaintiff narrated the ordeal of that fateful day in which she has been given a bottle of veterinary medicine for safe keeping but as she was going to keep the parasitecide she accidentally dropped it and the bottle broke. The plaintiff further narrated that she went to her husband friend’s house to beg his friend to go and plead on her behalf as it was an accident but contrary to that intent her husband’s friend who is also a friend of the first accused having been instructed by the husband took her and stated to beat her up all the way to her husband’s house accusing her of being negligent. Upon reaching her house her mother in-law took a rope which was used to tie her up so she couldn’t run away. They continued to beat her until her husband arrived upon which he joined in the beating with sticks. She was not allowed to sleep in the house and was given a jute sack to sleep on in the open by her mother in-law. 
The next morning her husband woke her up from where she had slept out in the open and demanded that she take the cattle out to graze but she could not, being too weak and in extreme pains from her wounds. she was having trouble to even stand and walk. The husband interpreted that to mean she was being stubborn and summoned his friend (The second accused) and together they carried her to the bushes where they stripped her naked and beat her again with sticks after which they tied her and made her to kneel down whereafter they dumped her in the bush after a three-day ordeal. On the third day, boys tending to their cattle found her but all they could do was untie her. Being too weak she couldn’t walk but she managed to crawl on her knees in search of help. Later that day Mesonii was found by a good Samaritan who rescued her and took her to his house and informed her family who came and picked her up and took her to the hospital for treatment. Later the family informed social welfare workers who took the girl to police and human rights defenders including Rose Njiro from MIMUTIE Women Organization.  
Mesonii is not the first nor the last victim of a culture that oppresses and victimise adolescent girls under the guise of traditions and norms. Early marriages are a sad but normalised practice in these parts of Maasai pastoralist communities. Mesonii was married off at the early age of 14 years in 2020 to her husband. In a community that objectifies women and young girls her plight would probably not see the light of day had it not been for the tireless efforts of Women Rights Organizations that work tirelessly to end gender-based violence, fight against early marriages and other oppressive traditions. One such organization, MIMUTIE Women Organization was instrumental in raising voices in support of Mesonii. When they heard about this injustice, they quickly sprang into action and galvanised other protection mechanism such as social welfare officers to take action. Mesonii was supported to get medical attention and get treatment, her case was taken to court and women rights defenders flocked the courthouse every time the case was mentioned.
Finally, Case number 23/2022 came up to judgement on 27th December 2023, the two accused stood before the resident magistrate faced with three counts of inflicting grievous bodily harm, violence against a minor and statutory rape of a minor in a case that took 4 months.
In her judgement, Magistrate Regina, contended that the defence offered by the defendants did not have weight because the court did not need any number of witnesses to convince the court in making its ruling because the plaintiff was able to identify the two accused and was able to narrate vividly how the entire the episode unfolded. It was obvious from the evidence that the plaintiff was beaten extensively, she was tortured and was left to fend for herself out in the bushes. Furthermore, although the marriage act of 2019 under article 19 allows for a girl to be married at 14 years the law stipulates that in such a situation the groom has to convince the court that there are grounds that merit such marriage and that there was no evidence that the first accused had sought such court permission. That being the case the court finds that the plaintiff was married while she was 14 years old and that the material customary marriage was consummated as evidenced by testimony of both the plaintiff and the doctor who investigated the plaintiff. The magistrate stressed that although customary laws within the Maasai culture and customs may allow such unions but in the eyes of the law it is unlawful to marry an underage child as it constitutes statutory rape regardless of implicit or tacit consent. 
In her judgement reading, Magistrate Regina found all the accused guilty of two and three counts respectively. The first and second accused were both found guilty of two counts of violence against a minor and inflicting grievous bodily harm and were sentenced to 5 years for each count and a fine of 2 million shillings. On the third count facing the first accused alone who is also the plaintiff’s self-professed husband, the court found Lamendea Lesirio guilty of statutory rape under the penal code and thereby sentenced the first accused to 30 years in prison.  
The lesson in this case is that communities can be empowered to raise their voices and stand firm to see justice served. The multitude of proponents of justice voices that joined the call for justice for Mesonii made it a public interest case which without a doubt lent weigh to tipping the scales in favour of Mesonii even in the face of staunch customary law advocates and paved the way for the law of the land to prevail in her favour. It is a tribute to women from community level who work tirelessly and sometimes in dangerous conditions to confront patriarchy….but it is a also a tribute to organizations that support their work such as Women Fund Tanzania Trust. 


Criminal case no 23/2022 opened at the Resident Magistrate’s court Arusha region in September 2022.

JUSTICE FOR MESONII

TAWIDO is an NGO based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania that operates a call center providing counselling, referral, and health information services for GBV survivors and families, HIV/AIDS patients, and other marginalized groups. TAWIDO also provides support for women’s economic emancipation by fostering links between economically disadvantaged women and dedicated economic empowerment groups.  

They have a toll-free hotline through which any person receives clear messaging and guidance on reporting GBV and testing for HIV thus promoting health-seeking behaviors especially around HIV. Calls received cover a wide range of issues including inheritance,  

From December 2020 to Mid-2021, TAWIDO’s call center has received 577 GBV cases of which 566 are closed or resolved. Resolution could mean that a teenager has been saved from being married off, or a sexual violence case has been processed in court and a perpetrator been jailed.  TAWIDO’s Call Centre that now boasts 3 operators had humble beginnings in 2016 with only a landline and everything written by hand. Currently, all information is capture online: the case registers include the location from which the call is made, the relationship between the client (survivor of abuse) and the caller, brief case narration, whether the call needs referral (in the case that the subject is not covered by TAWIDO e.g., STI information) or whether the caller needs to be linked with another organization.

TAWIDO prides itself on reaching people who were previously not able to report and is able to achieve this through a two-pronged approach: Peers go into communities to create demand by sharing their personal stories and give education on sexual and reproductive health and rights. 

They follow the Social and Behavior Change Communication model which promotes changes in knowledge, attitudes, norms, beliefs and behaviors following the strategic use of communication approaches at the different levels of influence.  

Miss Rosemary Michael, a board member with 3 years of experience in peer education commented, “people are becoming more self-aware, they understand what GBV is; they test themselves and seek access to healthcare services”. 

When speaking on challenges faced, peer educators responded that the lack of cooperation from GBV victims themselves or family members create roadblocks in justice being served. 

TAWIDO prides itself on focusing on special groups who are afraid to attend health centers for fear of being judged.

TAWIDO’s peer educators successfully collaborates with key stakeholders including Social Welfare Officers, Regional Police Commissioners, lawyers, paralegals, gender desks, Officer Commanding Stations, and Officer Commanding Districts. 

MSICHANA Initiative- inter-generational 
MSICHANA Initiative is a young women and youth led organization, working to advance gender equality through advocating for girls’ right to education, as a result, contributing in creating a society where rights of girls are safeguarded, and girls enjoy the recognition, dignity and excel to their fullest potential. We employ feminist approaches and principles in implementing core agenda of economic empowerment, inspiring activism and SRHR to inspire adolescent girls and female youth to shape their stories, build their agency and determine their own future. Msichana Initiative works with girls and young women directly, communities and the government in the advocacy for gender-sensitive legal frameworks as well as engaging with broader national and local women movements in catalyzing and sustaining feminist movement in Tanzania and beyond. 

Msichana with support from Women Fund Trust is conducting the ENHANCING WOMEN AND GIRLS’ RIGHTS MOVEMENT THROUGH ENDING CHILD MARRIAGES EFFORTS IN TANZANIA project. The project aims to build strategic alliance within and across girls and women’s right spaces in designing and implementation of ending child marriage strategies. Moreover, to enhance collective advocacy amongst national and grassroot women and girls to demand the government through the parliament to table the Bill for the amendment of section 13 and 17 of the Law of Marriage Act, 1971 which allows the girl child to be married before the age of maturity i.e18 years. 
The project also intends to promote intergenerational linkages and learning between veteran women rights activists and emerging young feminists, on advocacy for gender sensitive legal frameworks and gender equality.  To bring young women leaders together through the child marriage agenda, inspire activism amongst them and influence young women to advocate and carry forward their agenda. 

Overall goal of the project is to build strategic alliance within and across girls and women’s right spaces in designing and implementation of ending child marriage strategies. 

Through this project funded by WFT-Trust, MSICHANA Initiative supported 80 women and girls on women rights, movement building and enhanced capacity on the Model bill and have gained common understanding of the agenda.
10 empowered movement representatives were immersed into actual ground situation, known the actual magnitude (cause-effect) of child marriage in Loliondo (Masai communities) and now have become champions in advocating for ending of child marriages in Masai communities. (Narrative Report 2022)

On 24thOf January 2022, Msichana Initiative conducted stakeholders meeting which brought together women and girls’ rights representatives across the five regions in Tanzania (Arusha, Tabora, Shinyanga, Dodoma and Dar es salaam) to understand the proposed model bill for the amendment of the Law of Marriage Act, 1979 Bill so they will be able to internalize the demands and use their different platforms to advocate for the change and campaign for the amendment of the law.

DOOR OF HOPE:
Success story of Door of Hope Advocacy campaign towards transforming lives of survivors of sextortion at workplace in Mtwara (example of mainstreaming funding into human rights realm- he introduced the agenda of sextortion and has used funding to influence human rights sector).

Door of Hope to Women and Youth Tanzania (DHWYT), popularly known as the DOOR OF HOPE received a grant of TZS 15 million from WFT-Trust to implement a grassroots focused awareness and educational campaign titled DOOR OF HOPE CAMPAIGN BRINGS HOPE TO WOMEN AND GIRLS AT THE WORKPLACE. The campaign was kick-started as part of the 2018 commemoration of 16 Days of Activism in Mtwara and is an initiative that continues to-date with great outcomes. To achieve this DHWYT employed several strategic interventions for an impactful and successful implementation of the project. It engaged key holders in knowledge sharing and gender senstive dialogues, which has resulted in these issues being perceived differently. School Clubs and Youth Platforms have been instrumental in grounding the fight against sexual corruption issues in young women in Mtwara district as well as empower them to advocate for themselves. Similarly, through increased collaboration and engagement with government officials and departments (duty bearers) such as PCCB, Police officials, and others at the community level, Door of Hope has managed to influence transformative changes in duty bearers. They  are now ready and committed to engage in different capacities in the campaign to eradicate GBV, sextortion against women and girls in Mtwara District and beyond. 
WFT’ s grant enabled Door of Hope to successfully manage the roll-out of the national Anti-Sextortion campaign to communities and public institutions in Mtwara District- it did not only ground the movement locally but gained transformative result in government offices and the corporations.


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TAWIDO is an NGO based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania that operates a call center providing counselling, referral, and health information services for GBV survivors and families, HIV/AIDS patients, and other marginalized groups

The Impact of Women Fund Trust
Tanzania in Advancing Women's Rights.

TDWN Pushes for Domestic Workers’ Rights

Mimutie Launches Anti-GBV Coalition for Indigenous Communities

YAWE: Keeping School Children Safe in Shinyanga

Rafiki SDO- Changing Perceptions on Women and Children's Rights

Using Animation to Curb Sexual Corruption

Women Platforms Strengthen Empowerment Drive

Media Pushes To Eradicate Violence Against Women & Children in Shinyanga

Stakeholders Join Forces to End VAWC in Shinyanga

TUWALEE Project Liberates Shinyanga Women from Jaws of GBV

Changing Society’s Perception of Female Domestic Workers

Stories From Our Communities

JUSTICE FOR MESONII

TAWIDO Success Story

ABOUT US

NEWS & UPDATES

The Impact of Women Fund Trust Tanzania in Advancing Women's Rights.

TDWN Pushes for Domestic Workers’ Rights

Mimutie Launches Anti-GBV Coalition for Indigenous Communities

YAWE: Keeping School Children Safe in Shinyanga

Rafiki SDO- Changing Perceptions on Women and Children's Rights

Using Animation to Curb Sexual Corruption

Women Platforms Strengthen Empowerment Drive

Media Pushes To Eradicate Violence Against Women & Children in Shinyanga

Stakeholders Join Forces to End VAWC in Shinyanga

TUWALEE Project Liberates Shinyanga Women from Jaws of GBV

Changing Society’s Perception of Female Domestic Workers

Stories From Our Communities

JUSTICE FOR MESONII

TAWIDO Success Story

The Impact of Women Fund Trust
Tanzania in Advancing Women's Rights.