Over 700 Women In Dodoma’s Councils Benefit From Economic Empowerment Project
The Project Has Played A Notable Role In Increasing Women’s Participation In Decision-Making.
MORE than 700 women across six councils of Dodoma Region have so far benefited from the Aga Khan Foundation-funded project, supported through the Embassy of Ireland in Tanzania.
The initiative, dubbed “Tuinuke Pamoja,” is working to transform women’s economic and social lives while boosting their confidence to venture into various income-generating activities.
Moreover, the project is also empowering its beneficiaries to stand at the forefront of the battle against the negative trend of gender-based violence.
Implemented with an aim to complement the Government’s efforts on women’s empowerment, the Tuinuke Pamoja project is reaching out to women through groups that provide training, capital, production technologies and access to markets.
The project’s Coordinator, Mr Nahum Fungo, said the vision behind the initiative was to improve gender equality in communities by empowering women through building their capacity to tap into and benefit from diverse opportunities available in their respective areas.
“So far, we have managed to establish 60 women’s groups, attracting over 700 members who, after being trained in various entrepreneurship areas, have now become community ambassadors providing education to other members of society,” he said.
Through the training, he said, most of the project’s beneficiaries are now engaging in productive activities that were previously regarded as men’s jobs.
According to him, these activities include poultry, cattle and fish farming, crop production, soap making and tailoring, to mention a few.
He said the project has played a notable role in increasing women’s participation in decision-making at both household and community levels.
“Women who have received training now have the courage to report cases of gender-based violence, as well as sensitise others on the need to prevent and address violence in their communities,” he said.
For his part, Mr Omary Juma, a member of Neema Group from Gwand Village in Chemba District, said the project had assisted them in acquiring key knowledge on gender equality, a development that had totally changed their perceptions of the roles of women and men.
Expressed more over the project’s successes, Ms Ester Kapura, a beneficiary from Chamwino District, said the project had given women greater confidence to express themselves and engage in a number of economic activities.
She said her group produces batik and liquid soap, adding that the project had imparted them with vital knowledge on how to identify and access markets, enabling them to sell their products and generate profits.
Ms Halima Fundi, a chairperson of a group in Chemba, said that before the inception of the initiative, members engaged in vegetable farming and poultry keeping without adequate knowledge of modern production technologies.
“Through the project, we have managed to adopt improved production skills, but have also learned a lot about tailoring, including making bags and women’s clothing,”