- By Hamad Rashid Hassan
Towards ten years of Milele Zanzibar Foundation, one of the achievements that the organization has stimulated in the Shehia of Zanzibar, is the development of the Livelihood Sector, through the Project for the Strengthening of Shehia Participatory and Leadership in Zanzibar.
After the Milele Zanzibar Foundation (NGO) built the capacity of Shehia’s advisory committees, now the situation is stable in stimulating sustainable development in the Education, Health, and Livelihood sectors.
These achievements within ten years of the Organization, provide the direction of sustainable plans to stimulate sustainable development in Shehia for the coming years, as explained by Mhando Waziri Mhando (The Acting Coordinator of Livelihood Projects -Milele Zanzibar Foundation)
We are now approaching ten years of Milele Zanzibar Foundation, Shehia has become one of the most successful areas in the implementation of our projects, in the coming period we will focus on, firstly, motivating other development stakeholders to see the importance of involving the community in the implementation of projects, how they can do Shehia projects as we did, but also the most important thing in the coming period is to invest more power in resources, for the communities so that they can stimulate the speed of development and various projects, so that is our direction, we expect it to be so and some other Shehia will be graduating, while some other new Shehia will enter the projects, we can empower them and ensure that we reach many Zanzibar Shehia’s.
THE REAL PICTURE DESCRIBED BY THE SHEHIAS/ BENEFICIALS IN UNGUJA AND PEMBA.
LIVELIHOOD SECTOR
In the Livelihood sector, many developmental activities have taken place, Tanzania Kids Time has interviewed, Jamila Mohamed Faraji an entrepreneur from Michikichini Shehia on the island of Unguja, Fatuma Mohamed Makame an entrepreneur from Makangale Pemba Shehia, and Saidi Hamad Ismail a small farmer from Sizini Pemba Shehia. Beneficials
Jamila Mohamed Faraji said “Firstly, the benefits we got from this Chalk Project, many young people joined this Project and were able to avoid sitting on the streets without any activity, secondly, within this Chalk Project we have been able to get more benefits which enabled us to introduce other activities and develop ourselves, and we generate income from more than one place”
Also, Fatuma Mohamed Makame a seaweed Group Chairman from Makangale Shehia explained that “In fact the Advisory committee helped us to come to our group together, we exchanged ideas and they gave us knowledge and motivation, what should we do, because we had not started these activities to make Seaweed Flour after debate we decided, to add young people who are ready with these activities, in fact we have entrusted these activities to the youth, of grinding the Seaweed Flour, this is after getting motivation with the Committee”
“The training of our Shehia Advisory Committee, as Farmer, has helped me enough because before the presence of the Committee to motivate us, we were farming, but we were farming with old practices of Agriculture, that were not productive other than just wasting energy, after the existence of the Committee they educated us and now we have entered into Organic Agriculture, and I farm according to the instructions of using agroecology inputs, we have benefited to extent because even I have farmed, vegetables such as sweet potatoes, because here in Zanzibar it is our main agriculture, even the bananas we cultivated in the past are now being planted with natural fertilizers, and we are seeing changes” said, Saidi Hamad Ismail Agroecology Farmer.
EDUCATION SECTOR
According to the good management of the Field officers of Milele Zanzibar Foundation Projects in Shehia, this matter has stimulated good success for the shehias themselves.
Hassan Suleiman Khamis, he is the Field Officer from Makangale Shehia located at North Pemba Region, during the Interview he said that “The main thing that we do because we do not have money is to unite Committees with Development Institutions, to influence and advocate, people to have the confidence to speak their things in the relevant Institutions, for example the issue of Education, they have been able to increase the classes in the Mnarani School, as well as they have been able, to do follow up monitoring in Government Institutions and development organizations, to be able to bring Electricity to their School but also to introduce Water into their School, there is also the construction of toilets and tanks which have all been successful after working side by side with them”
In addition, Amina Rashid Aboud, a Form Two student at Ukongoroni Secondary School in Ukongoroni Shehia Pemba said, “The Advisory Committee contributed to us by providing money to stay at School Camp, they gave us Rice, cooking oil, and they advised us to study to reach our goals”
HEALTH SCTOR
The resolution of the challenge of finding Health Services made by Milele, in the Michikichini Shehia which located at West A’’ District, Town West Region in Unguja Island.
One of an example, where by the Advisory committees have also stimulated major changes was to realise the challenge of the Centre for treatments. Omar Khamis Omar a committee member explained “The Advisory Committee of the Michikichini Shehia, at first we were relieved after getting the training at the very beginning, we did not understand that there were only ordinary committees, the Government wanted each Shehia to have an advisory committee, and later they were given the power to training through the Milele Zanzibar Foundation, from there, we were able to recognize ourselves and understand ourselves, what our responsibilities are, and what we should do, but in the Michikichini Shehia we had many challenges, including the main one of Health, It became a reason to mobilize ourselves, Milele supported us and the Health Center was built, now we continue to receive treatment”
Also, Asma Juma Omar a mother living at Michikichini Shehia, she added that “This Health Center here in Michikichini helps us mothers a lot, in case of getting birth, fever, and children’s treatment, for that we thank God, in the past we were struggling following far health services from here to Magogoni about five Kilometers, but now we are thankful the center is near our houses, we don’t worry too much about the health service issues, for mothers and children”
SPECIAL THANKS TO: –
Issa Muharami Salumu: The Livelihood projects officer – Milele Zanzibar Foundation and
Ahmada Bakari Haji: The Communication Officer – Milele Zanzibar Foundation.
