This year we celebrated our founders, the amazing women whose vision born out of a hope for a better tomorrow has been the inspiration behind PWC’s passion for equity in our community, with indigenous women at the centre of our communities’ transformative development.  Today, we are proud to keep doing the work started by our mothers and sisters before us and to see our contribution towards women’s empowerment and gender justice being realized locally and across the globe. In the coming year, we intend to share their inspiring stories.

In this last quarter we began working with 10 CBOs that work in indigenous communities to strengthen their education programmes in order to enhance education outcomes, especially numeracy and literacy, within indigenous pastoralist communities. It is our hope that through this support, we can build up representation of advocates for the rights of indigenous peoples.

In November, PWC’s application to join the International Land Coalition (ILC) was approved. The ILC is a global alliance of civil society and intergovernmental organizations working together to put people at the centre of land governance. The shared goal of ILC's members is to realize land governance for and with people at the country level, responding to the needs and protecting the rights of women, men and communities who live on and from the land.
Our membership in this network, as in others, will bring new partnerships and more great opportunities for shared learning and innovations that take us closer to our vision for a developed society which respects human rights and justice for all.
 

PWC conducted community sensitization on climate change adaptation and mitigation in three districts of Longido, Ngorongoro, and Monduli. Thereafter, the communities developed action plans in 27 villages on how they will adapt to climate change. The action plans were presented at the District level for increased response towards citizens priorities in the community such as addressing food insecurity, deforestation, also the absence of extension and livestock officers to support the community. The implementation of the climate action plans is supporting communities to take mitigation measures. With increasing uncertainty regarding rain fall patterns in the region, communities have taken great strides to ensure the availability of water for people, livestock and domestic use. This has been accomplished through sensitization to protect the water source areas and introducing fines for non-compliance. PWC also trained three water committees in Kipambi, Tingatinga and Empongogi in order for them to better manage three deep water boreholes that we facilitated drilling.

Over 8,000 pastoralist women and men are benefitting from the boreholes as they no longer have to travel long distances looking for water and this has allowed them to participate in business and other development processes. Additionally, community members report having bought food stuffs during the rainy season when the food prices were low that is supporting their family’s nutrition during another longer than usual dry season.

“I am able to feed my family and sell the remaining milk to the community, selling milk has increased my financial ability, my family is safe from hunger during this draught season, and my community is happy to get the milk at this difficult time.”  Melau,Laigwanani ketumbeine ward

To further improve food-security, communities are collectively managing grazing areas, respecting the land use plan available in their villages and controlling the burning of charcoal. Check out some reflections here https://youtu.be/lITQGuD_3jE
 

Pastoralist women are one of the poorest of the poor and marginalized groups across the globe. This factor coupled with inadequate and very under-resourced health facilities across the remote pastoralist villages of northern Tanzania, as well complex gender relations and practices in their communities, has created serious impediments to women’s general health and wellbeing. Taking this into account, PWC is implementing a sexual reproductive health (SRH) project in its target areas to improve access to accurate health information and improve the utilization of sexual reproductive services in these communities. 
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Five villages, namely Piyaya, Engaresero and Malambo in Sale division as well as Ormekeke and Kakesio in Ngorongoro division were identified to receive sensitization forums based on the need to raise awareness on SRH and covid-19 as well the remoteness of these localities. The sensitization forums were implemented and were all very well received reaching a total of 460 pastoralists community members (230 women and 230 men) with citizens asking for more forums to be hosted.

Limited access to health services was noted in most villages because health facilities are overstretched, have inadequate resources and the few health personnel that are present in these facilities often cannot speak the language of the locals which hinders diagnosis and medical intervention.

In regard to sexual reproductive health, adolescent sexuality is still considered a taboo topic in these communities and therefore parents do not discuss menstruation, sexual relations, pregnancy or STDs with their children. A total of 150 secondary school girls in Arash, Natron, Malambo, Ngorongoro Girls and Embarway Secondary Schools (5 out of the targeted 10) and their matrons/mentors have received education on their sexual and reproductive rights. Check out this video about a mentoring and SRHR session with students at ESS https://youtu.be/fDVDtxkIOPA

“As a pastoralist lady who understands these communities well, I was very impressed with the girls” Dr. Angela Maipuke

 

Access to quality education remains a major hurdle for many pastoralist girls and boys. In July, our community came together in a colourful harambee to raise money to complete a modern science laboratory and women made amazingly generous contributions of time, money and resources including livestock. Check out some highlights from the event here https://youtu.be/ekDIFg6hJOY

With $27,000 collected from community members and donors, the construction has progressed and is nearing completion. We now invite you to help us raise an additional $12,000 to help equip the laboratory with essential equipment and supplies. We feel this will have lifelong impact on the lives of the learners as can be seen in this video, allowing them to explore STEM subjects, leading more of them to science-based professions which will contribute to their community’s development. Monetary donations can be made via our trusted partner Omprakash here  https://www.omprakash.org/global/PWC/donate
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According to Mr. Yannik Ndoinyo, an ESS board member, “Constructing the laboratory is an important step in ensuring learners gain practical skills in STEM subjects. It will create opportunities for pastoralist girls as well as boys to pursue careers in the sciences and play a meaningful role in the development of this community”

In addition to offering a full secondary school curriculum, ESS offers a Pre-Form One, a three-month transitionary education programme for class seven primary school leavers, to improve their grasp of English, Science and Mathematics before being assigned by the government to a secondary school. Among 70 students (53 girls and 17 boys) PWC and ESS sponsored 30 girls identified to otherwise be at risk of forced marriage or early pregnancy. At the end of the course, learners showed improvements in mathematics, English and science subjects. We shall be sponsoring 25 girls to join form 1 in 2022.

We conducted teacher training and integration of new skills using the Rapid Learning Approach (RLA) approach/pedagogies in three secondary schools namely Lekule, Emanyata and Soitsambu schools. Over 130 students who had difficulties in numeracy and literacy were enrolled into RLA classes and over 40% improved their literacy competences within the first 30 days of the programme. Check out some thoughts from participants at the training here https://youtu.be/yAT09t391jg

“A struggling student who is taken through this approach will resolve their challenges and start to perform well in their studies” Tr. Agbert Tajui

Women who are in control of their own finances are more likely to invest in their children’s education and secure a better future for their families. We facilitate this through supporting pastoralist women to gain access to funds, financial advisory services, and productive resources.

ENGISHON Microfinance Ltd, a company originally established under the leadership of PWC, continues to expand. PWC under NORAD grant provided business boost grants to 80 VICOBA groups amounting to Tshs 1 million and has loaned 28 groups a total of USD 125,000 and 34 individuals USD 35,000. Total loan repayment is USD 92,000. The company has now developed a five-year strategic business plan which outlines the strengths and opportunities that will be pursued and identifies the challenges and risk factors to be mitigated. The strategy will guide internal systems development which will bring about improved operational efficiency and effectiveness, stronger and more partnerships and help control costs. 
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Village Community Banks (VICOBAs) are savings and loans groups, self-sufficient schemes that are led and sustained by the members. PWC has facilitated the establishment and strengthening of 452 VICOBAs across Monduli, Longido and Ngorongoro districts. The groups have total savings of UD 574,000. VICOBAs provide women with financial support to fund initiatives that enhance the wellbeing of their families through income generation, land and home ownership and investment in their children’s educations to provide them greater security for the future. 

Indigenous women and girls in Tanzania face multi-layered, intersectional marginalization due to the overwhelming cultural biases towards men. These women have limited personal and economic independence, limited access to productive resources, services and assets and have little scope to influence decision making at any level. Over the past few years, PWC and our partners have engaged with traditional leaders and community members in Longido District to develop a formal and legally binding Declaration on the Rights of pastoralist women and girls which reflects their universally recognized and accepted rights. This Declaration was developed through extensive consultation and in consideration of pastoralists traditions and practices in an effort to promote positive equitable norms and practices.
The Declaration was formally adopted by the Longido District Council in August 2021 and has been presented to the Ministry of Constitutional and Legal Affairs to become a legal document to protect and promote the rights of pastoralist women and girls in Longido.
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“I would like to plead to my fellow men, husbands and fathers to take a keen look into women rights to own property including inheritance. In this meeting we are being taught and asked to respect these rights for women. The law is very clear that we must respect these rights- because if we do not, the law will take its course.” Laigwanani (Traditional Leader) Peter Sangeti

In another innovative gender rights intervention, an interactive gender transformative course called Secure Your Family's Future (SYFF) has been facilitated by PWC. 670 pastoralist women and men in Ngorongoro and Longido districts have been reached with information contained in the curricula. Designed for men and women of East Africa, it aims to change behaviours and mediate social norms related to women's land and property rights, including ownership, decision-making on land management and land inheritance.
We recently conducted an evaluation to assess changes in knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, future intentions, and perceptions of peer norms related to women's land and property rights among participants in the SYFF courses. The evaluation used most significant change stories to document changes in norms and practices on women’s land and property rights. Findings indicate that in the areas in which the course has been undertaken, men are allocating land to daughters (regardless of marital status) as they do to sons, including women as joint owners of the land and bequeathing land to daughters and wives and that land management structures ensure gender quality in membership, and include women's priorities (e.g., agriculture, grazing, etc.) in land use plans. Check out the findings and links to the SYFF curricula here
“The value of engaging women in decision-making is already bearing fruit” Oltimbau Nuiya

As part of the 16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence, Pastoral Women’s Council spent a week traveling from village to village meeting with over 700 women, all members of our Women’s Rights and Leadership Forums and raising awareness on GBV. These forums bring champions together to learn about and advocate for the rights of women and girls in their communities. Each member received a sheep or goat to celebrate her achievements and support her continuing work as a change maker and role model for others in her community
 

In September, PWC's work received glowing international recognition as one of ten finalists in the Lever for Change Racial Equity 2030 Challenge for which we are deeply honored and indeed privileged. The dynamic and multi-layered solutions to racial inequity proposed by the ten finalists will challenge and change norms, address root causes of racialized outcomes, and create sustained conditions in which children, families and communities can thrive.
Our project will advance racial equity by advocating for system-wide changes, climate smart natural resource planning, increasing the resilience, self-reliance, and economic empowerment of pastoralist women and communities.
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Since the announcement, PWC, community members, partners and our allies have been working to finalize our prospectus and benefit from the many learning opportunities that came with the award. We would not have such an opportunity if it was not for our prior and current donors’ commitment to gender equity and justice. Learn more here

​Earlier this year, PWC supported a team of quality assurance officers to undertake school inspections, identify priorities and make recommendations to improve the learning environment. One of their key recommendations was the completion of a modern science laboratory at the community-owned Emanyata Secondary School (ESS) in Ngorongoro District.
We know that a better understanding of science and technology can unlock opportunities for young Tanzanian pastoralists. However, the rights of girls, and the long-term transformational benefits to society of educating them, are often overlooked in our pastoralist community. Additionally, community resource mobilization in a time of covid-19 and economic hardship is a very difficult proposition.
Despite these challenges, in July 2021, after months of intensive women-led advocacy for girls’ education across the community, and under the leadership of Pastoral Women’s Council, 500 pastoralist women and their male champions came together in an incredible show of solidarity to celebrate raising a record amount of over $27,000 for the school.
Generous contributions were received from thousands of local community members, most of them women. The message was clear: the community, and women in particular, value high quality education that complements their pastoralist lifestyle and allows their children to develop into skilled adults able to positively impact society.
According to Mr Yannik Ndoinyo, an ESS board member, “Constructing the laboratory is an important step in ensuring learners gain practical skills in STEM subjects. It will create opportunities for pastoralist girls as well as boys to pursue careers in the sciences and play a meaningful role in the development of this community”
The fundraiser has also demonstrated to students that they are valued by their parents and elders; that education is equally for girls as it is for boys; and that women’s leadership can bring about positive cultural norms-change for the benefit of the entire community.
The completed science laboratory will become a symbol of solidarity, equity and community commitment to education. Thousands of students will get to experience science hands-on for the first time. As a consequence of their high-quality learning opportunities and the empowered culture at Emanyata Secondary School we fully expect these students to go on to do great things in their community.
Please help us finish the build by generously donating here: https://www.omprakash.org/global/PWC/donate, sharing our story or contacting us at pwctanzania@gmail.com to discuss other opportunities to collaborate.

Climate change presents threats to the pastoralist way of life and threatens food security. Environmental degradation, the disappearance of natural vegetation and viable pastures due to increased temperatures, water scarcity and reduced reliability of rain result in challenges to the pastoralist way of life. Besides climatic threats, rangelands which pastoralists are dependent on, are threatened by large scale land investments including; agricultural expansion, charcoal making and mining activities. For the last one year, PWC has begun a process of  co-creating solutions with pastoralist communities for climate change adaptation and resilience.

"Rains are no longer predictable, and as a result, there is a lack of grazing areas, poor outcomes from farming, and strong winds from north to south, so many things cannot be predicted as they were in the past," says Frank Samwel Mushi, natural resources officer at Monduli District Council

Since March of this year, we have worked with 27 local communities in the Monduli, Longido and Ngorongoro Districts, leaders and district governments to develop Community Climate Change Action Plans that include climate-smart pastoralism. The Pamoja Voices climate tool presents a simple and affordable methodology to identify the climate change adaptation priorities of men, women and young people using participatory learning and action methods.
At a recent workshop on climate change resilience facilitated by PWC, pastoralists identified challenges resulting from climate change and possible solutions to those challenges. They shared their views and experiences, stating that the rains were reliable in the past, but they do not produce enough in recent times. Further, they shared that the knowledge gained from participating in the workshop was crucial for ensuring that pastoralist communities engage in climate change action and cope with the resulting challenges. Participants lauded the inclusion of women in the training because women face many challenges, including walking long distances to get or sell firewood and milk. Check out a video of their reflections here https://youtu.be/lITQGuD_3jE
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2020 presented unprecedented challenges due to Covid-19, which caused uncertainty, fear and significant lifestyle change across the world. At PWC, we mainly interact with our membership face to face and from within their communities. The pandemic caused us to pause much of our fieldwork. However, working from home meant that we honed our distance collaboration skills and that greater numbers of PWC staff and volunteers got to participate in virtual learning events and webinars.
While our strategic goals remained unchanged, our focus was shifted to raising awareness of Covid-19 prevention practices and mitigating its effects for the most vulnerable in the communities we serve. Collaborating with various stakeholders, including government officials and development partners, PWC staff and members shared vital preventative information, including details about adequate hygiene and sanitation practices, and distributed much needed cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment to those who do not have the means to buy them themselves. 
Improved hand washing and sanitation practices have also helped reduce transmission of other viruses and with reducing non-infectious diseases. Health and hygiene education continues with PWC promoting relevant health protocols announced by the Ministry of Health. For example, we have fewer participants at workshops, we ensure that all prevention protocols are observed and use those opportunities to continue with our awareness-raising to help curb the spread of disease. This has become our new normal and will continue long beyond the pandemic.