For more than ten years, Milele Zanzibar Foundation (MZF) has been acknowledged as a highly efficient development organization and a crucial partner to the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, working with more than 40 shehias (villages) and impacting the lives of 345,000 people in Unguja and Pemba.
This article shows the main results that emerged in the activities of MZF for 10 years, intending to learn and see how other organizations, stakeholders, and the Government together are responsible for continuing to collaborate to stimulate development for the people of Zanzibar.
According to the MZF Managing Director Yousuf L. Caires, “We are grateful for what we have achieved in the past ten years. Over the coming decade, our ambition is to continue collaborating with partners and the government of Zanzibar in scaling up successful initiatives, and improving our programs to transform the lives of one million people in Zanzibar’
Moreover, President of Zanzibar His Excellency Dr Hussein Mwinyi has been quoted several times saying Milele Zanzibar Foundation is the best NGO in Zanzibar.
Milele Zanzibar Foundation has been focusing on only three important sectors namely, health, education, and livelihood, whereby the MZF summary report within 10 years has the following impact.
In Livelihood, MZF has Increased savings capacity and income for 8,140 women across 372 Village Savings & Loans Associations in both rural Unguja and Pemba.
Also, 250 youth and women have seen increased employment rates and earning capacity through established and functional SMEs.
Another impact of MZF is improved agricultural practices and increased income for 1,000 horticultural farmers.
Over 5,000 female and young seaweed farmers have increased their income due to improved aquaculture practices.
However, 2,721 community members have been supported with solar power installation, increasing local energy supply while at the same time reducing the carbon footprint of Zanzibari communities.
The report also wrote the impact on Education firstly, over 150,000 students have benefitted from the construction of 26 safe and conducive learning environments.
200,000 children and youth have benefitted from teachers’ improved pedagogical skills and new textbooks.
300 secondary students benefitted from skills development in STEM through
STEM camps, educational competitions, and learning camps to improve learning outcomes.
And 200 students with disabilities benefitted from supplied materials to support inclusive learning and achieve their educational goals.
The third sector is Healthcare, where the reports show, 26,790 people have access to improved health services following MZF support in the construction of 9 health centers in Unguja and Pemba. The support is key to helping Zanzibar achieve Universal Health Coverage.
A total of 1,906 Women of Reproductive Age (WRA) have been trained in Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health areas.
Also, 99 champions of health received leadership and management training to improve their capacity in service delivery for positive health outcomes.
Moreover, 10,000 community members benefitted from awareness-raising activities about the COVID-19 pandemic and were provided with personal protective equipment.
