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JUNE 2008

Editor: Pernille Baerendtsen, Information Officer
Editor-in-Chief: Flemming Winther Olsen, Country Director
Design: Jesper Guhle Mogensen, IT Adviser

 

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR



 

By Flemming Winther Olsen, Country Director


To the regular readers of this newsletter it is well-known that MS is undergoing a process of change. Not only did we last year produce a new Country Programme Strategy (CPS) with focus on Building Local Democracy (BLD) and the sub-themes on Land Rights (LR) and Youth for Development (YFD),– we also initiated a process of identifying our future organisational structure in light of the changing environment for development assistance. A potential affiliation with Action Aid International (AAI) was identified as the most conducive opportunity, which at country level will lead to a merger between the two organisations.

 

Such major changes obviously create a lot of uncertainty and raises many questions – several of which cannot be answered at this stage because the answers will have to be found in the process of merging. As already communicated to most of you, the process right now is at the stage where the MS Board in Denmark has made a clear decision to recommend the MS General Assembly (taking place September 12-13 in Denmark) to enter into an affiliation/merger with AAI.

In the likely event of the MS General Assembly following the MS Board recommendation, the process of affiliation/merger will be initiated, starting with a period of no less than a year of defining the new joint programme and working out the modalities at country level. It is important to stress that we are talking of a merger – not an acquisition! The outcome will hence be a new Action Aid Tanzania, combining the vision and strengths of the two organisations, and respecting the identity of the two. Of course there will be give and take in the process but the MS Tanzania Country Programme will be implemented as MS Denmark will continue to fund the programme with or without a merger with Action Aid. It is hence very clear that all partnership agreements in place and the new ones in the process of formulation will be fully honoured for the entire period of agreement.


The MS Policy Advisory Council (PAC) in its meeting on June 16, 2008 gave its full support to enter into the merger process – pending of course on the decision of the MS General Assembly in September – with the objective of using the best bricks of MS Tanzania to create a new and stronger Action Aid Tanzania. In MS Tanzania we believe we have many strong bricks and for the sake of the overall development agenda of Tanzania we have an obligation to ensure that they are put to good use in whatever organisational structure comes out of the changing times we are in.

CALENDAR

DW-Days and Topic Team Meetings in 2008
Week 39, September 22-26, 2008
Week 49, December 1-5, 2008


MS TANZANIA
is part of the Danish Association for International Co-operation (MS). Our vision is a world in peace where co-operation between people promotes global equity and ensures improved conditions for poor and marginalized people.

MS Tanzania has been present in Tanzania since 1963, and since 1993 we have partnered with local civil society organisations (CSOs).

The main theme of MS Tanzania’s programme strategy is Building Local Democracy with two sub-themes on Land Rights and Youth for Development.

MS Tanzania aims at defending and enhancing popular participation under the assumption that strengthening democracy at local level will help fight poverty.


CONTRIBUTIONS/
COMMENTS
For contributions to the newsletter or further information, please contact Pernille Baerendtsen at info@mstan.or.tz

 

You can subscribe to the newsletter here: www.ms.dk/tanzania. If you receive this newsletter by mistake or if you no longer want to receive it, you unsubscribe here, too.

NEWS FROM MS TANZANIA

Up-date and revision of MS Tanzania's Country Programme Strategy
The CPS was initially launched in October 2007, and a lot of activities in support of starting the implementation have already taken place. One key has been an organisational mapping of the seven districts identified in the CPS (Kibaha, Kisarawe, Kilindi, Kiteto, Simanjiro, Mbeya Rural and Njombe) with the aim of detecting the most appropriate CSOs for implementing the CPS. Read more here:http://www.ms.dk/sw100653.asp


Video for the web
During April MS Denmark facilitated a short pilot project web video workshop in Tanzania involving MS Denmark’s web editor, the Information Officer and the ICT Adviser in order to kick-start a local production of web video with relatively simple equipment. Read more here: http://www.ms.dk/sw100659.asp


MS Global Review of the Building Local Democracy Theme
The review of the MS Tanzania Country Programme in terms of the BLD theme is scheduled for July 28 - August 5, 2008. Programme Officer, Andrew Mhina, is in charge of the review in Tanzania. Read more here: http://www.ms.dk/sw99636.asp


Two articles on Land Rights:

 

If you want to raise awareness among women you also have to give them time to participate. Most women in rural Tanzania have heavy workloads. But time planning and new working methods can ease the burdens. Read the article by Merete Holm here: http://www.ms.dk/sw99586.asp

Mairowa Village in Longido District is an area of 17.000 hectares mainly populated by Masaai people who cultivate small crop fields near their main settlements. In the village office the land certificate is kept in a locker. The document defines the village’s boundaries and thereby its inhabitants’ customary right of occupancy of the land. Read the article by Merete Holm here: http://www.ms.dk/sw99560.asp


Poverty is when life is tough!

 

The objective of MS Tanzania’s country programmed strategy is to reduce poverty. Two young Tanzanians here give their personal perspective on poverty. Read what they say here: http://www.ms.dk/sw99822.asp


MS Tanzania hosts the Agricultural Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF)

 

MS Tanzania is a member of the Agricultural Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF) - an affiliate to the National Policy Forum of which we are also a member. ANSAF has a small secretariat with one co-ordinator employed, which previously has been hosted by VECO. From July 1, the host will be MS Tanzania and the co-ordinator Ms. Regina Mongi will hence be a 'staff member' of the MS Country Office. Please, make her feel welcome.


NEWS FROM MS TCDC

 

Peace Building & Conflict Management, October 20, 2008
The recent years have witnessed a growing understanding of the links between conflict and development, and the role that humanitarian assistance and development can play in challenging or, unintentionally, exacerbating the root causes of violent conflicts.

 

Good Local Governance, November 3, 2008
Good Local Governance is an elastic and versatile concept. It has been interpreted in many different ways so as to encompass many different aspects of social organisation and the institutional framework within which social and economic activities are performed.

 

Training of Trainers in Civic Education, November 10, 2008
By the end of the course participants will be able to facilitate civic education processes, develop training programmes.

 

Check MS TCDCs Course Calendar for more courses here: http://www.mstcdc.or.tz


REPORTS, LITERATURE AND COURSES
Popular version of the village government regulations
A popular version booklet of the Village Government Regulations has been printed. The booklet is in Swahili and was prepared and edited by Policy Forum’s Local Government Working Group (LGWG) with noteworthy efforts from Hebron Mwakagenda from the Leadership Forum and Justin Moshi from Youth Action Volunteers, both PF member organisations. Copies of the publication are available for collection at the PF Secretariat office and later at their website. For further queries, contact: info@policyforum.or.tz

 

Poverty, Pastoralism and Policy in Ngorogoro
Ereto-Ngorogoro Pastoralist Project (Ereto I) is a bilateral project initiated in 1990 by the government of Tanzania and Denmark, in response to growing concern about the unprecedented and rising levels of poverty among pastoralists in Ngorogoro. An edited version of the report ‘Best Practices and Lessons Learned from Phase I of Ereto’ (2005) by Dr. Naomi Kipuri and Carol Soerensen is now available in MS Tanzania’s Resource Centre.

Poverty and Human Development Report, 2007The report published by REPOA is now available in MS Tanzania’s Resource Centre.


The Economics of Corruption - A University Training in Good Governance and Reform

 

This year the German university in Passau hosts a symposium on anticorruption. The training takes place from October 4-10, 2008, succeeded by the symposium from October 10-11. Distinguished speakers to the symposium include Wolfgang Schaupensteiner (Deutsche Bahn AG), Wolfgang Hetzer (OLAF), Prof. Dr. Martin Paldam (Univ. Aarhus), Prof. Dr. Muel Kaptein (Univ. Rotterdam) Michael Hershman (Fairfax-Group und Adviser to Siemens), Prof. Dr. Dr. Friedrich Schneider (Univ. Linz), Peter Y. Solmssen (Board Siemens). Joe Pistone, aka Donnie Brasco (requested) is expected to give a guest presentation, talking about his 4 years living with the New York Mafia as an FBI undercover agent. More information available here: http://www.icgg.org/


Accra Meeting
If you want to follow what is happening in the aid discussion leading up to the Accra meeting (a follow up to the Paris declaration on Aid coordination) you can find it all on the homepage: http://www.betteraid.org


PEOPLE
Development Workers
Jonas Olsen will join the Community Forest Management Network as a Participatory Forest Management Adviser. He is arriving to Tanzania on August 10, 2008 from a previous job as a development worker for MS Zambia. He will bring his spouse, Carol and three children to be based in Dar es Salaam.

Rakel Felekech Larsen is arriving to Tanzania on September 1, 2008, where she is going to work with MS Tanzania’s Land Rights theme as a roving adviser, either based in Dar es Salaam or Arusha.

Jeppe Budolphsen will substitute our present ICT Adviser, Jesper Guhle who is leaving Tanzania in the beginning of July. Jeppe is arriving on September 1, 2008, and will be based in Dar es Salaam.

Anja Christiansen Sakaly will be working as a Youth Development Adviser based at the Tanzanian Youth Council in Dar es Salaam. She will arrive to Tanzania on November 1, 2008. Anja comes from a previous job as a development worker with MS Uganda.


GLOBAL CONTACT

 

On July 5, 2008 MS Tanzania will receive five volunteers. Three of the volunteers have participated in the Global Platform in Zanzibar for one month just before the arrival, and two are coming straight from Denmark. The volunteers will be working in schools and youth organisations for the three months period July-October 2008.The volunteers will participate in five days orientation course where they will be introduced to Tanzanian culture, behavior, dress code, security and gender relations, working and living with the hosting families.
The following are the volunteers and their respective placements:
Anna Kirkegaard Vaarst and Laerke Colstrup Axelsen – Friends of Don Bosco, Dar es Salaam
Helene Albinus Sogaard and Michael Asger Anderson - Good Samaritan Center, Dar es Salaam
Ida Brems Sorensen - Step by Step School, Dar es Salaam


HOLIDAYS

MS Tanzania’s Director is on leave from June 20 to July 28. In his absence the following will be acting directors:
Week 26: Florida Henjewele, PO,
Week 27: Maselle Maziku, PO,
Week 28 to Week 30: Andrew Mhina
MS Tanzania’s Administrator is on leave:
July 3 to 4, July 14 to 18, July 24 to August 1 and August 5 to 11.

MS TANZANIA'S PARTNER ORGANISATIONS
Find a complete overview of our partner organisations here.

CONTACTS ON MS TANZANIA STAFF
Contacts (e-mail and mobile) on all MS CO Staff and DWs are available here.

MS TANZANIA NEWSLETTER JUNE 2008
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