TANZANIA MEDIA WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION-

ZANZIBAR

PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT

Tanzania Media Women’s Association-Zanzibar P. O. Box 741 Tunguu Zanzibar, Phone: +255772378378 Email: info@tamwaznzn.org Website: www.tamwaznz.org WO

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Table of Contents

List of Acronyms ......................................................................................................................................... iii

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 1

Project Progress and Results achieved .......................................................................................................... 2

Outcome 1 ................................................................................................................................................. 2

Outcome 2 ................................................................................................................................................. 4

Outcome 3 ............................................................................................................................................... 11

Outcome 4 ............................................................................................................................................... 12

Monitoring and Evaluation ......................................................................................................................... 12

Challenges ................................................................................................................................................... 12

Ways Forward ............................................................................................................................................. 13

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List of Acronyms

ANGOZA Association of NGOs of Zanzibar

BASAZA Baraza la Sanaa Zanzibar (Zanzibar Art and Entertainment

Council)

CRP Community Resource Person

GBV Gender Based Violence

IGAs Income Generating Activities

JKT Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa

JOCDO Jonzani Credit Development Organization

JUMAKAB The Association for Development North B/ Jumuiya ya Maendeleo

Kaskazini B

JUVIKUKA The Youth Organization for fighting against Violence North,

Unguja/Jumuiya ya Vijana ya Kupinga Udhalilisha Kaskazini

MZF Milele Zanzibar Foundation

PESACA Pemba Saving Credit Association

PPIZ Practical Permaculture Institute Zanzibar

TAHA Tanzania Horticultural Association

TAMWA Tanzania Media Women’s Association

TGNP Tanzania Gender Network Program

UMI BANK UMI derived from Arab word means MAMA

UWAUZA The Union for Women with Disabilities Zanzibar/Umoja

wa Wanawake wenye Ulemavu Zanzibar

UWZ The Assiciation for People with Disabilities Zanzibar/Umoja wa

Watu Wenye Ulemavu Zanzibar

VAC Violence Against Children

VSL Village Saving and Loaning

WEZA Women Empowerment in Zanzibar

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ZAFELA Zanzibar Female Lawyers Association

ZBFD Zanzibar Board of Food and Drugs

ZASCI Zanzibar Seaweed Cluster Initiative

ZBS Zanzibar Board of Standard

ZGC Zanzibar Gender Coalition

ZLSC Zanzibar Legal Services Center

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Introduction

This is the semiannual report of Women Empowerment in Zanzibar (WEZA II) project, fourth

phase marking the end of second year. In this period in tandem, WEZA II provided demand

driven trainings including mentoring, exposure visits and equipments. These were all ascertained

through regular monitoring visits in collaboration with the Business committees, Community

Resource Persons, media and the project partner, Milele. WEZA II is a three and half year

project funded by Mlilele Zanzibar Foundation and implemented by Tanzania Media Women’s

Association (TAMWA), Zanzibar. The overall objective of WEZA II is to contribute to reduced

poverty and improved social justice in Zanzibar and a specific objective to see income increased

and social, cultural, and political barriers to women’s empowerment progressively reduced for

7,000 rural poor women from eight (8) districts (4 from Pemba and 4 from Unguja). The Unguja

districts include South, Central, North A and North B. For Pemba the districts are Wete, Mkoani,

Chake Chake and Micheweni. WEZA II being a successor of WEZA I project also works in

close collaboration with JOCDO, PESACA and Union for Development in North B, Jumuiya ya

Maendeleo ya Kaskazini B (JUMAKAB).

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Project Progress and Results achieved

Outcome 1: At least 280 women’s groups mobilized, successfully implementing village

savings and loan scheme (152 new and 128 existing groups) and contributing to family and

community needs.

VSL groups from both Unguja and Pemba continue to engage in saving and loaning with the

value of share ranging from Tsh.1,500/= to 10,000/= per week. The VSL women are largely

depending on saving and loaning to initiate or expand their entrepreneurial activities through

engaging in market driven income generating activities and petty trading.

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In total VS&L producers managed to save Tsh. Tsh.800,020,000/= where 312,749,000/= for

2016 and 487,271,000/= for 2017 implying the increase saving to approximately 55.8%.

The case of Mavungwa

The Tupate Sote Group from Mavungwa Village, Mbuzini Chake Chake Pemba. The group

involving 15 VSL women paying the value of share of Tsh.5,000/= each per week

equivalent to Tsh.1,000/ per day. The Group has a total saving of Tsh.4,832,000/=

accumulated from July 2017 when the second cycle started. Women from this group

borrowed all the money from their saving to initiate or expand their individual and group

businesses. Almost each group member has established her own private vegetable farm.

The women managed to grow sunflower, banana and beans over the farm of two acres each.

The group is also engaged in poultry, handcraft activities and making soap and processing

food. The individual VSL producers from Tupate Sote are also engaged in cultivation

activities growing cash crops and vegetables. These women are selling their products in

community, main shops in Chake Chake Town and exporting to Oman.

The group sells its products up to five shops in Chake Chake town. VSL producers in this

group are also selling their handcraft products in schools, hospitals and at the public offices.

They sell handcraft bags; palm leaves and beads made. For the former they sell between 8

– 13 bags per earning 210,000/= per month and for the later they sell around 20 bags

earning 400,000/= per month. In total they have earned 1,125,000/= for handbags. The

group is also engaged in soap making, vinegar, poultry which brought home Tsh.311,000.

This group also produces sunflowers and has already started constructing their sunflower

industry as shown in the picture above.

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Outcome 2: At least 3,000 women and girls in Unguja and Pemba are economically

transformed engaging in market driven Income Generating Activities (IGAs); access

market, control productive assets and formalize their enterprises.

In this reporting period VSL women were engaged in capacity build sessions to enhance their

skill in producing quality products. A total of 226 VSL women were therefore involved at

Training of Trainers (TOT). Particularly for soap making, women were capacity built on making

essential oil, massaging oil, hair oil, shampoo, liquid soap and bleaching (JIK). On handcrafts

they were introduced to door mates made by coconut shell fibres, basket, wallets and earrings

using beads.

On vegetables they were particularly linked to organic farming for better produces and in poultry

they were oriented on local poultry with bigger up to 20 kilograms and tasteful chickens. The

women producers are also supported to access legal status and formalization of their business

including accessing registration to Zanzibar Cooperative Society Department, Zanzibar Board of

Food and Drugs (ZBFD), Zanzibar Board of Standard and Chief Government Chemist.

The story of Cheju

The VSL women from three groups (Tusaidiane, Mnyonge Mpeni and Tumuombe

Mola) at Cheju, Central District Unguja are engaged in handcrafts made up of palm

leaves. The groups have devided roles and responsibilities of which some are engaged

in collection of the palm leaves, some plate and others look for markets. Some

markets reached by the groups are hotels from Paje, Michamvi and Jambiani;

exhibitions such as Sabasaba, BASAZA, Jua Kali in Uganda, Mwenge exhibition and

exhibitions at Nungwi and Forodhani. They also sell their bags in the stone town

shops both collectively and individually. To date in group they produced a total of 132

handcraft bags and sold 93 of them earning approximately Tsh.1, 674,000 only

collectively.

To date a total of 2,935 VSL women are engaged in petty trading and 2,080 engaged in market

driven income generating activities involving both horticulture and permaculture. The

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illustrations of VSL women engage in income generating activities are shown in the following

info-graph.

WEZA II in cooperation with Market and Business Committees is currently supporting women

producers to open up their own marketing centers and therefore having a full control of the

market. The project started the construction of six business centers/shops from Unguja and

Pemba involving soap making industry at Bambi, Permaculture center at Matemwe, poultry

centers at Makunduchi and Mkokotoni, vegetable demonstration plot at Mtende, handcrafts shop

at Mvumoni and sunflower industry at Mbuzini.

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Construction of sunflower industry continues at Mbuzini, Mavungwa (left) with a picture taken on 10/12/1017 and

soap making industry at Bambi (right) picture taken on 23/12/2017.

In the picture left and right are the women groups at Matemwe helps in the construction of water

reserver for their envisioned flowering nursery as taken by TAMWA Staff on 20/12/2017

The case of Matemwe

About 20 VSL women from four groups in Matemwe are motivated and jointly engaged in

producing handcraft products and soap making. The women come from Mwanzo Mgumu,

Tujali na Sisi Watu, Mnyonge Mjali and Tunatumaini Kupata VSL groups amid a series of

capacity building trainings. Recently they still sell their products more to the community

members earning Tsh 500,000/= per member in total.

The groups currently establish a center for organic farming. The farming will involve

production of organic fertilizer, vegetable and garden/nursery. They spotted a plot in their

community and collectively lobbied the authority to give it to them and full fill their

entrepreneurial goal. They have secured the compound from the Local Government

Authority and they are now looking for the title-deed. On the other hand, they have started

the initial procedure for the establishment of the center with the construction of the water

reservoir in partnership with WEZA II.

These women have an ambition of establishing a market center where they will invite other

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VSL members in North and South to sell their products.

In addition a total of more nine poultry hubs were repaired including in Mkokotoni, Mihogoni,

Chimba, Kendwa, Makunduchi, Shumba Vyamboni, Mlindo, Ukunjwi and Kilindi. Around eight

heavy duty sewing machines were distributed to producers at Nganani, Cheju, Chwaka,

Fukuchani for Unguja, and Kendwa, Kiuyu Minungwini, Furaha and Tumbe for Pemba.

Women producers were supported in product packaging, branding and labeling and link them to

potential and reliable market points. A total of 46 in-island markets including nine mainstream

market including Shimoni, Kinyasini, Makunduchi, Mwanakwerekwe and Darajani for Unguja

and Wete, Chakechake, Pemba Airpot and Tibirinzi for Pemba; five hotels such as Lamadrugada

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Hotel at Makunduchi, Kitete Hotel from Paje, and 11 shops in Stone Town for Unguja and

Chake Chake and Wete for Pemba were reached and accessed by VSL women.

In the picture at left are the women producers in Kendwa displaying their products including

seaweed related food stuffs as visited by WEZA II team on 2, November, 2017. In the right are

some new designs of palm leaves bags made by VSL members as taken by TAMWA Staff on

Jan 5, 2018 at Kendwa Pemba.

The case of Kendwa

Nia Njema group allocated in Kendwa, South Pemba is consisted of 15 VSL

women who are engaged in making handcraft products, soap and food stuffs.

The main market accessed by the women involving in Unguja, schools,

offices, Festival (Sabasaba) and exporting to Oman. Their accumulated

earning has reached Tsh. 1,793,500/=

The women are in the final process of registering their groups as Cooperative

Society before seeking registration to other Government Agencies such as

ZBFD, ZBS and Chief Government Chemist.

About eight markets were also obtained at Tanzania Mainland including from Mbagala, Tabata,

Kigamboni, Kinondoni, JKT, Kariakoo, Mabibo and Magomeni. About five VSL groups

specifically from Pemba are selling their handcraft products in Muscat Oman. A total of 62

women were also supported to attend business exhibitions held within and outside the country.

This included two women participated in Jua kali Exhibition at Burundi, seven women in

Kizimbani Exhibitions, six entrepreneurs in Mwenge Exhibition at Amani stadium and Pongwe,

seven entrepreneurship exhibition at Nungwi, four women in Milele Exhibition at old House of

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Representative-Kikwajuni, four in Women exhibition at Zanzibar Ocean View Hotel, four in

TGNP Festival at Dar es salaam and 28 in Women Exhibtion at Jambiani.

VSL women participated in in Jua Kali Exhibition in Burundi as shown in the picture left taken on 07/12/2017. In

the right are some tourists watching the cowboy game who carried bags made by women producers at Mjini Ole,

Pemba as taken by Haji Nassor of Zanzibar Leo newspaper on 03/01/2018.

WEZA II also created awareness to women access and control of land. A total of 27 land

awareness campaigns in accumulation were conducted (11 in 2016 and 16 for 2017). To date a

total of 32 women (four from Pemba and 28 from Unguja) process their land tittle deeds at

district offices; South, Central and North A waiting to be linked to Commission for Land.

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About 14 forms have been submitted to the Commission for land and other 14 have been linked

to Wakf’s Commission in Pemba. To date a total of six (five from Unguja and one from Pemba)

got entitled their land occupancy documents by the Commission for Land.

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Outcome 3: 280 women groups including girls are collectively engaged with media,

networks to challenge barriers and practices that are detrimental to women’s economic

rights.

WEZA II engaged largely in both mainstream and social media in the realization of women’s

social, legal and economic rights, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqlFo91zuHA&t=10s

Interventions included media visits and press release, TV and Radio programs, newspaper for

mainstream media and YouTube Channels, Facebook and Twitter for social media. A total of

three press releases were made and distributed to various media houses on economic

empowerment, land rights and Gender Based Violence (GBV). As such some 28 stories were

published. Access the Zaima TV report through https://youtu.be/eAA-1y2JQ9Y. To date a total

of 21 GBV claims have been won verdicts involving the mentioned one from Kiungoni Pemba

where the culprit was sentenced five years jail imprison on one count.

The Kiungoni case

In Kiungoni, Pemba a step farther; Hamad Omar Hamad raped his three children aged 11,

14 and 16. The TAMWA, news gatherer reported the incident to TAMWA Coordinator in

Pemba and journalistic investigation was conducted early October. It was found out that

the 16 years old girl was pregnant. Amid the explosion of the news to journalists and later

police, the father fled the country and eluded the police force. This was when the story and

engagement to the police was enhanced. Firstly, the office intended to trace the perpetrator

and secondly to take him back to Pemba to face the wrath of the law. It was later

discovered that he fled to Unguja, the sister island and the office in collaboration with

journalists and police managed to trace him in Unguja leading to his arrest. He was

sentenced on December to five years imprisonment for the 11 year’s girl case, and the

remaining two are still proceedings.

The case stands yet as another testimony of the importance of media advocacy,

engagement of the law enforcement agencies and more important local activists. It is also a

victory on the women movement which for years cried foul and delays of GBV cases run

up to five years prompting out of courts settlements.

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Therefore around 16 media houses covered the story while Zanzibar Leo and Nipashe

extended the story to editorial and feature respectively. Other media are ZBC Radio and

television, Tiff TV, star TV, Zanzibar Cable Television, Hits FM, zenj FM, Swahiba FM,

Chuchu FM news and program, Zanzibar Leo newspaper, Star TV, Deuch Welle, Nipashe,

Habari Leo, Mwananchi, Daily news and social media particularly what up and you tube;

https://youtu.be/eAA-1y2JQ9Y and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmwkFGIbOkl

Outcome 4: Grassroots women’s empowerment efforts effectively supported by 40 local

and national institutions

A bond involving WEZA II/TAMWA Zanzibar, VSL women and local and national institutions

has been strengthened. The Institutions are strongly engaged so that they can VSL producers to

access skills and knowledge, capital, market and business formalities. These institutions

involving Practical Permaculture Institute Zanzibar (PPIZ), Tanzania Horticultural Association

(TAHA) Incubator; UMI Bank and EQUITY Bank, Ministry of Trade and Ministry of Finance,

In GBV there are Action Aid, Zanzibar Female Lawyers Association (ZAFELA), Zanzibar Legal

Service Center (ZLSC), SOS, Zanzibar Gender Coalition (ZGC), Umoja wa Walemavu Zanzibar

(UWZ), Umoja wa Wanawake wenye Ulemavu Zanzibar (UWAUZA), Association of NGO’s in

Zanzibar (ANGOZA), Union for Youth in Fighting Against GBV (JUVIKUKA), Union for

Women Development in North, Unguja central land network, Unguja central District

Commission and Pemba south District Commission.

Monitoring and Evaluation

In monitoring project progress WEZA II team organized field visits on regular basis, quarterly

meetings with business committees, clusters meetings and CRPs to facilitate data collection

process, reporting and sharing experiences and challenges. It was from these visits where

progress and challenges were tracked paving ways for the way forward.

Challenges

• Some women producers face limited access to market due to patriarchy norms and

substandard qualities.

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• There were delays in construction of the offices especially in Bambi due to politicians un

fulfilled promises.

• Perpetrators of GBV are given trivial sentences as primary and regional courts were

given limited jurisdictions of up to seven years imprisonment. To make it worse,

perpetrators are awarded pardons by the High Court shortly after their imprisonment.

Patriarchy system is still high manifested on the trivial sentences and also backlashes of

the Kadhi’s court especially on women Kadhis request.

• Land access to women is still a problem due to substantial patriarchy system, inadequate

knowledge to women and bureaucracy.

Ways Forward

• Strengthen VSL products to meet the market requirements.

• Support VSL producers in formalizing their business activities.