About MS Tanzania ActionAid Denmark

Building Local Democracy
From January 2008 MSTZAADK has been implementing a new Country Programme Strategy (CPS) under the title ‘Building Local Democracy’ which focuses on strengthening citizens’ participation in Village Assemblies – the lowest level of Local Government under the ongoing Local Government Reform Programme initiated in 1998. The programme further focuses on strengthening the Ward Development Committees, other very important institutions in the Local Government set-up. Through strengthening citizens’ participation and the monitoring of local government activities, both output and efficiency of Local Government is expected to increase – and thereby the capacity to fight poverty.

Land Rights and Youth for Development
Aside from the overall Building Local Democracy theme, MSTZAADK has chosen to work on Land Rights with the special focus on women’s access to land. Finally, MSTZAADK has chosen Youth for Development as a third theme in the programme strategy. The strategy is partly to support youth organisations in gaining political empowerment and influencing local policies on development through youth forums, partly to support the groups in their creation of income-generating opportunities.

Focus on seven districts
MSTZAADK will target its work in the districts of Njombe, Mbeya Rural, Kibaha, Kisarawe, Kiteto, Bagamoyo, Morogoro Rural and Kilindi. MS Tanzania already co-operates with partners in some of these districts, but will seek additional partners. These are all rural districts and represent a variety of social and geographical conditions. Cooperation with organisations which work on a national level or which have partnered with MSTZAADK for strategic reasons will not be limited by the district approach.

Global focus on democracy
MSTZAADK’s CPS is a result of MS’ choice to focus globally in all of its country programmes on the theme Democracy as a strategic means to fight poverty. Building Local Democracy is thus a key element of all country programmes.