Jobs | Press | Contact

Newsletter for MS-Tanzania

For MS partners and development workers in Tanzania.
August 2003

Editor: Information worker Michael Bech
Editor-in-chief: Director Finn Petersen

Mysteriously disconnected

Vacation time is on. People on leave, schools and institutions are closed and even the roads in Darsa are fairly empty.

Our web-problems at the country office have not ended yet. But AfricaOnline has supplied us with an internet-connection, which is fairly stabile. We’re still waiting for our new email-addresses at the office.

… and then, while writing this on the last day of July, we are just now receiving our new emails from AfricaOnline. They will be ‘name of person’@mstan.or.tz – for example msechu@mstan.or.tz, ibrahim@mstan.or.tz, finn@mstan.or.tz etc. etc.

A lot of people have been passing by the country office in July. Old development workers have been back to see the country they worked and lived in – and the present DW’s are passing us going on vacation in Denmark or elsewhere in Tanzania.

And, by the way: Be careful out there! In more than one way. A new law is about to be passed in Tanzania. It will raise the fine for over speeding on the highways to 150.000 TSH !!

Habari za Tanzania
As I mentioned in the Newsletter last month, the next issue of ‘Habari za Tanzania’ will focus on ‘gender’ in Tanzania. It’s about time if you want to contribute with ideas or articles for the magazine. I am very interested in stories from you on how the issue of gender is addressed in the partnerships. They could be dealing with the question of gender in action and streamlining gender in your daily work. Deadline for articles is 15^th August, and the magazine will be ‘on the street’ late September.

Roadshow in Mwanza
The Roadshow ‘Mwandishi wa Habari’ will arrive in Mwanza in August. From 13^th August until 15^th August a group of 15-16 participants from the partnerships in the North will be joining the workshop on media, writing skills and ways of contacting the press.

Out and around at CO
As mentioned earlier in the Newsletter, the country office is ‘hit’ by vacation. The new administration officer Jared Duhu and the new secretary Neema Kijazi are starting work 1^st August. That means that we are going to say goodbye to Mwana Lweno - who is once again trying to retire from working with MS! Hopefully she will now be enjoying a quiet life in her village.

Apart from that our CaBAP Kaballa Richard is leaving us. He has got a challenging offer for another position in Muhimbili University College of Health Science (Tuelimishane Project) dealing with HIV and AIDS related issues. Right now, Kaballa is finishing his work at the country office. We wish him the best of luck and will miss his presence at the office.

On the field of vacations for the month, Mwajuma Samson is on leave until 18^th August, and Peter Msechu will go on a 14 day holiday from 25^th August.

News from this continent
Here is an interesting story from the UN news agency. It’s called:

Downturn in economies due to Iraq war, weather

ADDIS ABABA, 30 July (IRIN) - African countries have seen around US $6 billion shaved off their economies due to war in Iraq and poor weather hitting agriculture, economists said on Wednesday.

Patrick Asea, from the UN’s Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), said ‘extreme uncertainty’ over the war and drought had seen overall growth slump by 1.1 percent.

"The uncertainty caused by the Iraq war was a major problem," he said on Wednesday at the launch the ECA's influential Economic Report on Africa 2003.

"Economic performance was badly affected by rain-fed agriculture," he added, saying that a global slowdown had also taken its toll.

The report, which covers economic growth for 2002, reveals that growth had slowed from 4.3 percent to 3.2 percent on the impoverished continent.

Asea, who heads the Economic and Social Policy Division at the ECA, said Africa had been the victim of a ‘double-edged sword’, with increased growth in oil exporting countries, but a drop in countries that are net importers of oil.

Asea also said ‘lacklustre growth’ in Europe – Africa’s major trading partner - had taken its toll.

"Without a major rebound within the European economy, the prospects for Africa’s growth will still always be limited," he added.

Overall growth had been ‘well below expectations’, he said, with only five countries managing growth above seven percent – the rate needed to achieve UN millennium development goals by 2015.

"The poverty situation remains very worrying," he stressed, warning that in a worst case scenario it could top 400 million by 2015.

Contact for the Newsletter: michael_bech@net.dialog.dk – mobile 0744 - 87 40 80