EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF TANZANIA- SOUTHERN DIOCESE (ELCT-SD)

REGIONAL OUTREACH ADDRESSING AIDS THROUGH DEVELOPMENTAL STRATEGIES (ROADS PROJECT)

LOW INCOME WOMEN CLUSTER (LIW)

ELCT-SD have for longtime been working with different organizations both within and outside the country. ROADS Project is a community based project funded by Family Health International where ELCT- SD act as an Anchor organization. Under this project ELCT-SD manages two clusters; Low Women Income cluster and People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) where Mr. Elineema Mshana works with them as a Field Officer. Both clusters are situated in Makambako town about 180KM from Iringa region.

AIMS
- To help Women generate income through small business activities to reduce dependency on men, i.e. to make women become independent economically.
- To empower women to fight against women violence in their respective areas.
- To reduce new HIV cases by providing them with appropriate knowledge on HIV/aids through seminars and trainings.
- Sharing with Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), Most Vulnerable Children and People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) what they have earned from their small activities.
- To equip them with life skills in order for them to help their colleague
VISION
- To build a generation of empowered women who are mentally and psychologically freed from their cultural ties.
- To build an HIV/AIDS free community.

MISSION
- Enabling Women fighting AIDS through developmental strategies.
- Empowering Women to fight against HIV/AIDS and poor cultural ties.

NATURE OF LIW MEMBERS

Naturally, the cluster is composed of small entrepreneurs who run small income generating activities. These activities include squeezing of sunflower oils or seed processing. The growing of sunflower in Makambako enables them to have sunflowers for squeezing oil which in turn are sold and provide them with income.
The photograph shows one of the cluster members in the process of squeezing oil from sunflowers. Such activities provide Women with income to manage their life taking into consideration that most of them are single parents.
Other activities include Kiosk activities where these mothers sell tomatoes, vegetables, onions, fruits and others.

HOW THE CLUSTER FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS

Cluster members receive AIDS knowledge including Peer Education skills. After the training on peer education skills become good peer educators who educate their surrounding community in their working environments through Immediate Social Network approach, this approach maximizes the quality and frequency of interaction with trusted peers, and minimizes time/travel burden and attrition of peer educators who volunteers.
Where the client need more information, peer educators link the client with other information centers for more clarification and further steps including voluntary testing. Such practices have enabled a large number of Makambako societies to be reached with AIDS information and knowledge.

MANAGING PERSONAL DUTIES WITH PEER EDUCATION ACTIVITIES

As stated earlier that, this work is a hundred percent voluntary, therefore it is the duty of a Peer Educator to balance her time and peer education activities. With ISN (Immediate Social Network) approach cluster peer educators have managed to develop a well elaborated chain of work.

Special prepared and User-friend forms are prepared for peer educators to fill in information on person received the education on HIV/AIDS, such information include; the place of event, age of the person received education, questions raised during the session.

These peer educators meet once per month foe collection of forms and discussion of matters raised during the session.

WE ARE THE HOPE: STOP CHILD LABOUR

When a baby is born depends on Mother to feed it. No matter how hopeless and careless that Mom may be. It is because, the new born baby knows no one except its Mother till when it grows to adulthood, from there, the community takes the role of raising him or her till grave.

During this journey, the community is granted with power to give two things; Hell or Heaven. Hell in sense that, we leave aside those opportunities children were to receive from me and you and vice versa is true.

Today, the community has turned into a real hell; no one is thinking and caring for these young ones. No one is serving them, parents have turned into hell builders, and they are no more the trusted HOPE.

Who would dare to stand out from the crowd and save these Innocent Children if not me and you? Who will be their final HOPE when all around them disappear? Who to show and lead them to the correct path if not me and you?

See these little children; they are waiting for a person to take them to their promised tomorrow, who to do that If not me and you? Are you among them legalizing Child Labour? Assigning them the task to rear your cattle, to do all your domestic activities, to fetch water and collect firewood for you and the like…

Children have DREAMS and expectations too which they hope one day these dreams will come into realities. They hope and expect to be the future parents when I and you are no more. We are destroying our tomorrow EXPERTS, with our own hands, we are destroying the hidden powers in our children.

Children are flowers in our houses and homes sent by GOD himself, if a rose is not watered it withers and its beauty disappears, the same to Children, if not given relevant EDUCATION, they wither and diminish away. Be their HOPE today and always.

Stop Child labour, Serve them to serve you in good times or bad times let us open our hands and welcome the little ones.

My Tanzania

Tanzania, ooohh my Tanzania, you were once given the name that did not fit you "The Island of Peace" Ohh Tanzania, where is your peace now? Where is the Promise you promised your children's children? see now, your Community is perishing, see it now, put off that veil from your eyes and see all them clearly, See the disgusting problems facing your street children, see face of your beautiful nature crying because of some few greedy stomach.

Where is your Love? The community is crying, wake up now Tanzania? There are thieves around your home stealing the wealth of your children’s' children because you slept while the door is open. Wake up Tanzania; wake up from your everlasting sleep, your groaning and snoring while your arms are broken!

These tears, such lonely tears of such children are crying for you, are crying for their rights to study that were taken by force from them, they wish and want to study but who can here them for their voice is always been ignored. Look at them, look at such beautiful children; they are our tomorrow’s heroes when you and me are no more.

Where is their HOPE for tomorrow? Who can be their hope? Did they ask God to be born in a Society where no one cares about them? Did you ever think the skills they are carrying within their brain? What have they done to the WORLD?

Ooh My Community, ooh my People, let us wake up now, Orphans are ours, Street Children are ours, they belong to us, remember, their problems are within our capability. Why are we taking away their opportunity to study?

Where is that tear drop you once drop in 1967? Did it dry with the Multipartism somewhere in 1990s? Did you dream last night about the increasing number of the so-called street children?

Wake up my Tanzania, Let us serve the Community because, this is the wall we can build for the coming generation, we can build our home using others money, grants and funds, we have ours, we have what belong to Us, we have what fits our nature, we have the VIRGIN RESOURCES to build our a Heaven in Tanzania. We can, rise up and wash your face, it is almost noon, and your still in your blanket. Oooohh, Tanzania

Welcome to Serve Tanzania Community Blog

Serving Community is never an easy task one can take, it needs time, self giving and volunteering. God himself gave the man, the ability and power to manage the nature and makes it produce for the man. Today, our society has turned into Hell, no one is thinking of the perishing nature, everything is being destroyed to fufill the momentarily needs of certain greedy figures in our societies.

It is better for us to remember that, sooner or later, we shall give an account on what we did on our time to serve the community we were granted to use it.