Helping a young and fragile democrazy

12-year-old Linda has been infected with hiv by her mother who now is dead. A doctor from MS-partner WAMATA examines her. Photo: Tina Løvbom Petersen.

TANZANIA is one of the 15 poorest countries in the world. The average life expectancy is 43 years. 77 percent of the population over 15 years of age can, to some extent, read and write. The country is strongly affected by hiv/aids, but it is not until recently that strategies against aids have been drawn up.

Fighting poverty

MS, the Danish Association for International Co-operation, in Tanzania (MS Tanzania) fights poverty through local empowerment and cross-cultural co-operation. The work is divided into three areas:

The first area is good governance and human rights. This theme is appropriate in a country with a young and vulnerable democracy, in which daily life is often made miserable by corruption and violation of civil rights.

The second theme is civil society organizations and local development initiatives. Due to upcoming reforms, new possibilities will emerge, and MS partners should seize this opportunity and support local initiatives.

The third theme is networking, which becomes increasingly important as resources become scarcer. When partners work together, accessing information on development questions becomes easier.

Street children goes to school at Kuleana, a children's rights organization. Photo: Adam Amsinck.

Most important is education

The agricultural organization UVIMTA works on environmental and agricultural issues in southern Tanzania. The organization has farmers in 11 villages under its umbrella and assists in, among other things, building dams, wells, and irrigation systems in the local communities.

”We are aware of the fact that MS won’t be here forever. This is why it is important to train the members and involve them in the process of prioritizing and decision-making. It is crucial for sustainability and for the future, that people know how to work their plots of land effectively,” says John Wihala, chairman of UVIMTA.

Another partner is the Kuleana Center for Children’s Rights, one of the largest NGOs in the country. The organization specializes in children’s rights and street children, and has been working in Mwanza in the northern part of Tanzania since 1994.

”We give the children advice with regard to their situation, and we try to convince them to return home. But some of the kids don’t have a home. We give them the possibility of learning a craft, so that they at least will have a possible source of income in the future,” says Alphonse Mutaboyerwa, chairman of Kuleana.

Money from a Danish Fundraising event

Tanzania is one of the African countries the hardest hit by hiv/aids. MS partner WAMATA is trying to inform the population about the deadly disease, and is trying to get public institutions and local politicians to help fight aids.

WAMATA also helps children who have lost their parents to aids. Many of the children are either hiv-infected or have contracted aids. Through MS WAMATA will receive money from a Danish fundraising event, which will enable the children to receive food, medicine, counseling, education, etc.