2014-04 Tanzania news.pub

Tanzania
Fresh from the Field
April 2014
worldrenew.net/tanzania
Education + Chickens = Transformation
Jim Zylstra
Country Consultant
A Story of Transformation
[email protected]
Chris Enns
Program Consultant
[email protected]
World Renew Canada
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Fax: 905-336-8344
World Renew US
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Grand Rapids, MI 49508
1-800-552-7972
Fax: 616-224-8060
by Jim Zylstra
Country Consultant
Tanzania Team
Tanzania is a largely rural country, with
approximately 80% of the workforce engaged in agriculture. However, there is a
strong current of migration into towns
and cities where people seek greater perceived
opportunities. Dar es Salaam is growing rapidly
due to this migration, but the hope of a better
job and more income is most often different
from the reality of life in the city. Many people
who have followed their dreams to Dar es Salaam end up without jobs, scrambling to make
a living any way they can in the communities
that spring up on the outskirts of the city. Some
of these enterprises are illegal and risky, such
as theft and sex work. Children who grow up in Choose Life curriculum, there has been a posithis type of environment are highly likely to get tive impact on the student body overall and as
pulled into similar activities.
a result, the number of students that engage in
risky behavior is reported by their teachers to
A World Renew partner organization, Asasi ya
have declined.
Chagua Maisha (ACHAMA), is a communitybased organization working in three of these
ACHAMA members started a chicken project as
“outskirts” neighborhoods. It is a new organiza- a way to build solidarity when they were partiction that is made up largely of young people
ipating in Stepping Stones training. They also
who live and volunteer in these same communi- wanted their project to become self-sustaining.
ties. ACHAMA was started by graduates of
The members began the project by investing
World Renew’s Stepping Stones training in HIV $625, purchasing 250 chickens. Since then, the
awareness and prevention program.
flock has grown to 400 chickens. ACHAMA has
used the income from the chicken project to
Zakayo Mwakipesile, an intern with World Recover some of their organizational expenses
new who works as a program officer for ACHAand a committee is monitoring the progress of
MA, provided the following stories of a change
this project.
that is taking place in people’s lives.
In one community, World Renew is using the
Chagua Maisha (Choose Life) curriculum in primary and secondary schools to teach HIV
awareness and prevention. Before the training
started, many of the teenagers considered it
normal to engage in risky behaviors that can
lead to an HIV infection, such as drinking, drug
use, and multiple sexual partners. Since community facilitators from ACHAMA chose a few
students to train as peer educators using the
Prayer Points
• Remember World Renew staff, our partner
staff, and volunteers as they often work in
risky situations, are vulnerable to road accidents, and are exposed to diseases such as
malaria.
• Give thanks for a productive, annual countrymeeting that took place at the beginning of
April and included representatives from all of
our partner organizations.
Did you know that you can receive this letter directly to your own e-mail and that by doing so you are helping World Renew be a good steward of your gifts?
To sign up, contact Carrie Elzinga at [email protected].
Adult Literacy: Changing Lives and Giving New Hope
A Story of Transformation
By Chris Enns
Program Consultant
Tanzania Team
Imagine trying to live your daily life and
carry out your work activities without the
ability to read, write, or count. It would
be very hard to learn about new ideas,
make a budget, or create a business plan.
For many adults in Tanzania, though, this
Some of the stusituation is a reality, and it keeps many
dents of the litpeople living in poverty. Here’s an exameracy class in
ple of the ways that World Renew and its
partners are working to help people who Ragata with their
teacher (left).
live in poverty improve their skills and
abilities—and as a result, change their
lives.
and keep teachers in the community.
Many teachers left and went to better,
Ragata is a community in northern Tanprivately-owned schools.”
zania that is served by our partner, the
Africa Inland Church of Tanzania Mara/
In 2011, AICT MUD began a literacy proUkerewe Diocese (AICT MUD). Ragata
ject in Ragata as part of a community
was established in 1944 and now has a
empowerment program. To start the
population of about 2,000 people. Most
project, the community members identiof the residents are from the Wajita tribe, fied their challenges, and illiteracy
but there is also a mixture of other tribes topped the list. The villager’s lack of literin the community. The majority of the
acy and numeracy skills was especially
village members cultivate crops and raise problematic for members of the commulivestock (cows and goats) as their main nity’s self-help groups where saving and
economic activities. The animals graze in lending activities with microcredit are
fields nearby, rather than being kept in a part of a program to help improve their
pen, and so they must be moved from
businesses.
one area to another to find adequate
An initial class of 26 students began to
food and water.
meet in the afternoon, after the farm
As a community with mixed ethnic
work was completed, lunch for schoolgroups and mixed livelihoods, the people aged children was cooked, and a neighof Ragata have different lifestyles. The
bor could watch their livestock. On a repastoralists (herders) make up a large
cent visit to the community, the AICT
part of the community. Because they
MUD staff discovered that nine of the
depend on their livestock for income,
students had become quite good at
many of these families do not send their reading and writing, and they are now
children to school. Instead, the children
looking forward to learning some Eng(both boys and girls) look after the livelish.
stock each day, and as a result, many of
“We now know how to read and write,
them grow up without learning to read,
and we no longer confuse numbers when
write, or count. This makes it very hard
counting,” said James Lusengeneja.
for them to try any other business activi“Now we need to continue to study the
ties besides watching their animals.
English language so that we can comThis wasn’t the only way that the families municate with the visitors we have rein Ragata were ignoring the importance
ceived from abroad who do not know
of education. “Before AICT MUD was ac- Swahili. We want to know basic English
tive in Ragata, the school building was
phrases, like greetings and counting, so
neglected and lacked basic equipment
that we can talk with our visitors.”
and furniture, like desks for the stuRagata was once seen by the communidents,” said a community member. “The
ties surrounding it as a village with many
children who did attend school said that
pastoralists that cared more about their
they sat on the ground or on a stone duranimals than the education of their chiling class. There was also very little housdren. But now the people of Ragata are
ing available, making it difficult to attract
demonstrating how much they value education. They have already built a new
primary school and good houses for their
teachers. They are also thinking of building a secondary school and providing
transportation so that their children can
attend. Because the villagers in Ragata
have seen the importance of education,
they have changed their priorities. They
no longer value caring for their livestock
more than properly investing in their children.
“I wish time could go back and I could be
young again, so that I could study more,”
one adult student said. “As a child, I
would have been able to understand
what I am learning much more easily. As
an adult, I have to think of so many
things, including my children’s future.”
The Ragata literacy group plans to take
government examinations to test their
comprehension so that they can proudly
show everyone their new abilities. They
are excited about the new opportunities
in life that their education is making possible.
Prayers and Praises
• Praise for many supporters who contributed generously to help Joseph
Shigulu’s family after our tribute to him
in the last newsletter. We are so grateful for your support.
• Pray for the many people in Dar es Salaam who have been affected by the
severe flooding this last week. Many
adults and children have died in the
rushing water, have had their houses
destroyed, or are unable to return to
their families and work until bridges are
repaired.
World Renew Canada
1-800-730-3490
worldrenew.net
World Renew US
1-800-552-7972
worldrenew.net