Newsletter for MS-Tanzania June 2007

For MS Partners and development workers in Tanzania

June 2007

 

Deputy-Editor: ICT Adviser Jesper G. Mogensen

Deputy-Editor-in-chief: Administrator Mikkel Hauschildt

 

Dear Reader

We are currently working on a new format for the MS Tanzania newsletter. We are still experimenting, but this time, instead of publishing the newsletter as an attached Word document, we now publish it both as an html supported email, and as an attached PDF document.  

As always, a version of the newsletter can be found in the news section of our website, www.ms.dk/tanzania 

Since it is a test, we would like to get feedback from you. Did you have problems reading the newsletter? Did you read the email, the attached PDF or maybe the version on the website? Please send your comments to info@mstan.or.tz

 

Letter from the Director

The last few months have seen the production of a new Country Program Strategy for MS Tanzania. Partner organizations, PAC, Staff and DWs have all contributed and I want to thank you all for this. We can safely claim the document to be truly home-grown as no external consultants have been engaged to develop it on our behalf.

The new Country Program will further strengthen our focus on building local democracy through facilitating closer collaboration between Local Government Authorities and Civil Society. Over the last year, several of our partners have gained valuable experiences in this area – and I think we can conclude that in most cases it has created win-win situations. Local Government Authorities are battling to meet demands and expectations and with capacity and staffing problems. Through engaging Civil Society Organization in both planning and implementation of programs and projects some of the constraints can be overcomed.

Tanzania is striving to develop a dynamic, market oriented and liberalized economy where roles and responsibilities of government, civil society and private sector will have to be re-assessed and adjusted. This adjustment will take time but eventually each player will find their new roles.

The role of government, be it national or local, probably will be the most difficult to adjust as government in Tanzania traditionally has been very much involved in areas now generally considered to be the domain of private sector and civil society. Most evident has this been demonstrated in recent unfortunate interferences in agricultural marketing (cashew being one illustrative case) and in financing of small scale businesses. As important as the role of government is in stimulating the growth of private sector and civil society organizations – as damaging can the wrong actions be.

Some of these ‘delayed business as usual’ actions are, however, probably results of not knowing what else to do!  The intention has not been to do harm but not having the right understanding and tools to do otherwise, the end results were unfortunate.

Here the new roles of private sector and civil society must be brought forward. Civil society organizations – including producer organizations and other economic and social development interest groups – must come forward with constructive alternatives and with well documented proposals for how to ‘conduct businesses in this new environment. Only through dialogue and through better understanding each others new roles will ‘the old way’ go away.

The new Country Program Strategy of MS Tanzania aims at supporting the definition of these new roles and further aims at equipping Civil Society Organizations with tools to fulfil their new roles. Partnership and not confrontation is the way forward. Once all involved stake holders see and understand the new modes of operation, development will take place. When some key stake holders do not understand and accept the way forward the process will stall and leave behind frustrations and the potential for conflicts. Civil Society Organizations – and with them MS Tanzania – must take their part of the responsibility for promoting understanding and collaboration and for ensuring equitable, transparent and gender sensitive socio-economic development in Tanzania.

 

Topic Teams update

Topic Team 1:

Over the last two months Topic Team 1 has finished an assessment to the needs of ten partners. Out of the ten partners Topic Team 1 has selected five MS Tanzania partners that will undergo intensive capacity building. The partners are TAPHGO, TMWDO, NARAMATISHO, ACT and KINAPA.

In July TT1 will run a workshop on ‘Board development and NGO governance’ and in August another workshop on ‘Result Based Management’.

Topic Team 2

Topic Team 2 is currently working on building a program that keeps in line with MS Tanzanias new Country Program Strategy, and at the same time planning activities within the ‘Building Local Democracy’ theme.

We’re currently trying to map out MS’ partner’s Public Private Partnership (PPP) activities. So far we have visited three partners in the coast region: JEBA Society, NARAMATISHO and Vijiana Vision Tanzania. Topic team members are going to travel to the Southern region and others to the Northern region in the near future, to finalize the mapping of partner’s PPP activities.

Topic Team 3:

As a response to the Country Programme Strategy, Topic Team 3 has undergone a re-focusing process. Topic Team 3 will now be called ‘Analysis, Advocacy and Communication with Focus on Gender and Youth’. Topic Team 3 will support partners through capacity building in those areas and provide bilateral support to individual partners upon need.

The tasks ahead of TT3 include: Development of tool boxes on baseline surveys, PETS, gender and youth analysis. Furthermore the team has to develop a gender and youth strategy which should be integrated into the Country Programme Strategy.

MS Tanzania is planning to have a seminar on ‘Land Rights in Tanzania’ as a way of getting oriented in this area. The seminar is scheduled to be conducted during the third week of September. Land Rights in Tanzania’ is no longer under TT3, but under a special work group on land issues.

 

Partner web pages - UPDATED

The IT Advisor and eight partners are now in the process of setting up web pages. The partner organisation provides the content of the page that is texts, photos and publications. The IT Advisor sets up the page, and the lay out and thoughts behind it is a joint discussion.

Before starting every organisation need to buy a domain name and next a web host. MS Tanzania has negotiated a cheap prize with the British Netshine Hosting.

Later there will be a joint workshop for the first eight partners on maintaining the web page. After the first eight partners, more can be taken on board.

UVUKI is the first organisation to finish their web site in collaboration with the IT advisoer: http://www.uvuki.kabissa.org

 

The MTV Program

From September 2006 and up till now, MS Tanzania has received about 26 Volunteers from Global Contact in Denmark. The Volunteers are sent to various organisations - MS partners or associated MS Partners – where the volunteers are participating in the activities carried out by the organisation – teaching, engaging in work camp activities etc.

The objective of the programme is to increase knowledge and understanding of – and to carry out information activities about - living conditions in other parts of the world, especially targeting the youth in Denmark. The objective is also to strive for progress in the host organization through inter-cultural exchange, to train local youth in cross cultural cooperation, and to promote voluntary assistance.

We have two types of volunteers: Mid Term Volunteers (MTV’s) who stay for three months and Work Camp Volunteers who stay for three weeks in camps organized by local organisations.

We expect that the total amount of volunteers following MS’ MTV program in 2007 will be 51 - 48 MTV’s and 3 Work Camp Volunteers.

 

Trainee Program at MS Tanzania Country Office

Over the next couple of months MS Tanzania will launch a trainee programme at the Country Office. The main reason is the high unemployment rate – almost 50 percent - among youth in Tanzania.

“MS Tanzania would like to assist some of these young people by giving them and opportunity to gain experience from working in an international environment”, says MS Tanzania Administrator Mikkel Hauschildt. “We hope it will help them to find a more permanent job in the future”.

In more specific terms, MS Tanzania Country Office is planning to have two trainees in the Country Office on a rotating 6 months shift.

One of the trainees will be an IT trainee working closely with the IT adviser. The IT trainee will assist both the in the office and with issues related to the IT equipment for the advisory staff working with partner organizations.

The other trainee will be a receptionist trainee working with front desk and secretarial services, meaning that the receptionist trainee, under close supervision, will take care of our front desk and thereby gaining experience in dealing with an international clientele.

“We are planning to post the job proposals and conduct the interviews in July, so both the trainees can begin in August or September” says Mikkel Hauschildt.

More information about the trainee positions can be found on the MS Tanzania website – www.ms.dk/tanzania - under ‘Vacancies’.

 

A word from the new Roaming Financial Adviser

Habarini!

My name is Liisa Riihimaki and I have the pleasure to be working within the MS Tanzania programme as Financial Advisor for MS Tanzania partner organizations.

The assignment is to assist partner organizations in maintaining and developing their capacity in accounting and financial management. Focus will be put on the specific needs of each partner and we will work to ensure that the accounting and financial management of the organization meet the required standards.

My background in business economics and adult education I have my first university degree from Finland, but much of my working experience is from Sweden. I have also worked in with NGO/CBO capacity development both in Southern Africa (Lesotho, Zimbabwe) and in Eastern Africa. My most recent experience is from Mwanza in the Tanzanian Lake Zone.

I look forward to getting to know the partner organizations and hope I can visit all the partners in due course.

 

New Development Worker

Vagn Hansen will soon start as DW at TRC Coalition. Vagn, his wife Annette and son Peter will land in Tanzania on the 29^th of July and start their DWP Course at TCDC on the 6^th of August. Vagn comes from a position as headmaster of a Danish public school and has previously worked for MS Tanzania on Zanzibar and at TCDC.

 

Leaving Development Workers

Mogens Krog, DW at UVUKI will together with his wife Birgitte and son Tobias leave Tanzania and the program in the beginning of July. Mogens and his family came to Tanzania in August 2005.

Maj-brit Raben Rasmussen, DW at TYC will also be leaving Tanzania and MS’ program in the beginning of July. With Maj-brits departure MS is losing its most senior DW in the Tanzania program even though it is just little over 3 years since Maj-brit came to Tanzania in April 2004.

Good luck to all of them back in Denmark.

 

New Intern

From September 2007 to February next year Maria Tauber Wiese is based at the country office as an intern. She is studying for her master in Business and Development at Copenhagen Business School. During her stay at MS Tanzania she is attached to Topic Team 2 and will engage her time  on information and training materials for the Public Private Partnerships, and assist in the coordination of some activities under MS global key theme of Building Local Democracy.

 

A Hope for a Speedy Recovery

The MS Tanzania information DW, Thorkil, is still on sick leave due to a serious heart condition. It is unsure when he will be back, but we hope and wish him all the best and a fast recovery. Hopefully he will be well and back in the near future.

For contributions to the newsletter or further information please contact info@mstan.or.tz