WEADO: Empowering Women to Participate in Leadership

The participation of women in Tanzania’s decision-making process remains a challenge as their involvement in contesting for leadership positions during elections is still very low. For example, there are 11,915 villages in the country of which only 246 women were elected as leaders, which is equivalent to two percent. On the other hand, the situation is not pleasing when it comes to streets and hamlets where they have 12.6 percent and 16.7 percent female leadership respectively.

Just like any other ward in the country, Lyabukande Ward in Shinyanga District Council is dominated by men when it comes to leadership, as they constitute 90%, with only three women serving as leaders (two council members and one sub-ward chairperson).

Community members cite various reasons for the low representation of women in leadership, including beliefs that women involved in politics cannot fulfill family duties, perceptions that a woman's place is in the home, and election processes that disadvantage female candidates. The other reasons include challenges such as sexual corruption, unfriendly political party procedures, gender-based violence, and patriarchy.

To remove these barriers and encourage women participation in decision-making process, from family level upwards, the Women Elderly Advocacy and Development Organization (WEADO), through the "CHUKUA HATUA SASA: ZUIA UKATILI" project phase II, have been implementing activities aimed at empowering girls and women to be involved in the decision-making processes. This year, they focused on raising awareness about women’s participation in election and encouraging them to participate in the upcoming local government elections.

WEADO Project Officer, John Edy, explained that the organisation trained beneficiaries through the Women’s Forum (Jukwaa la Wanawake), focusing on educating women about leadership, election processes and the importance of their involvement.

“We invited leaders from various political parties to share with the women on the internal candidate nomination processes to help them understand how it is done. We also collaborated with the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) to provide education on identifying and reporting sexual bribery in elections,” said Edy.

Additionally, female leaders with successful political careers were invited to share their experiences to inspire and build confidence among women. This went a long way in showing that contesting and winning in elections and assuming leadership roles is possible and encouraged women to pursue their goals.

WEADO also organized community discussions/dialogue with local leaders, respected elders, development officers, and educators. These dialogues identified social barriers hindering women from participating in leadership processes and helped foster commitment to support change. Sessions with traditional and religious leaders emphasized the importance of endorsing and supporting women interested in participating in elections.

As a result of these interventions, Edy said that currently there is a shift in attitudes, especially among traditional leaders and men, who are now more supportive of women candidates._ “We’ve seen significant changes, with men showing more support for aspiring women leaders, and partners encouraging their spouses to pursue leadership, which was not common before.”_

The Chairperson of the Lyabukande Women’s Platform, Selina Munghusa, shared how the project has made an impact in the area: “In the past, it was rare to find women leaders here due to patriarchy. Women were discouraged from speaking or asking questions in public. Now, the same men who once discouraged women are supporting them in picking up nomination forms. This change is significant.” She added that motivation and confidence for women to take nomination forms for local government positions has increased. So far, seven members of the Lyabukande Women's Platform have come forward for leadership roles.

_“The knowledge we gained through WEADO trainings and dialogue sessions has empowered us to encourage women to participate in leadership roles. We took to the streets, churches, and women’s groups to rally support for women candidates,” _she added.