MR KASONTA A SUCCESSFUL VOLUNTEER IN SIKONGE DISTRICT

Yes friends, Last few days i visited one of our projects in Sikonge District, this project is funded by Stephen Lewis Foundation of Canada. Some of the project interventions include offering of education services to school Most vulnerable Children, offering of health prepaid insurance cards, offering of anti stigma education and household economic strenthening. under household economic strengtherning, our organization distributes goats to the most vulnerable children on condition that the first new born goat is returned to JIDA for distribution to other households. there is a livestock bank where the new borns ae kept before they are redistributed to othe children. Mr kasonta is a volunteer under this project, he collects the new borns and keep them for 3-6 months. he keeps the record of the goats. At home he is assisted by his daughters to take care of the goats. I talked to Kasonta and he is confident that the livestock project is a sustainable one, as he says "... a livestock project will help the children in the long run, ... when donors are not there, it will be easy for the households to sell a goat and buy food, school uniforms, pay school fees and health services..." I also support him. Kasonta has some fish ponds as well. He works for the children while performing his normal duties. some times he goes with the children to let them see what he is doing. the children are really aspired. We can do alot for our children by encouraging people like Kasonta who are based at community level and who can do the work tirelessly.

HOME BASED CARE EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC STRENGTHENING STILL NEEDED

DEAR FRIENDS ! As I told you before, that I am working with a local organization based in Tabora, known commonly in its abbreviation as JIDA.

We are getting support from different organizations to perform our duty. Stephen Lewis Foundation of Canada is one of very important donors who have supported our work since July 2007.

Major acivities supported by the foundation in Sikonge District include Home based care education for care providers, improvement of community health fund/ insurance for Most vulenrable children, provision of education services through distribution of school materials, uniforms and payment of school fees for most vulnerable children, offering of antistigma education that would reduce the psychosocial tension for most vulnerable children and people living with HIV/AIDS and improvement/ strengthening of household's economic status through provision of revolving livestock

A few challenges are there. rough roads as usual constraints the volunteers to do some home visits especially during the rain season. On the photo above is one of my colleague ( Mr. Philemon Boyo) during his last home visit in sikonge district, talking to a few people living with HIV/AIDS and Most vulnerable children.


Down here, is another colleague whom we work with at JIDA (Mr. John Pinini), he is collaborating with Augustino Kabadi in giving services to the most vulnerable children. The work needs some committment, one needs to "put on the shoes of the children", feel their hardships and therefore support them tirelessly.

On the left you can see some of the children who need support. there is maize on the background that still have a long way to get some harvest. during the rain season the children and the hoseholds as a whole depend on cassava meal, you can see some being prossessed on sun rays below.

You can also predict some of the dangers when a person is all alone in a house. what she thinks, believes, will guide her action. that is why we say more must be done: on one hand to train as many Home based care givers who can support the most vulnerable children and people living with HIV/AIDS at home. ON THE OTHER HAND, we must do all that we can to support the households economically, to increase their purchasing power, to enable them have reliable and secured houses, not like the one below.

Dear friends shall come back to you with more stories, shall tell you more on how the Livestock contribution by Stephen Lewis Foundation of Canada has made change for Most vulnerable families in Sikonge District. Shall display some photos from the field and a few quates.

Bye and wish you good luck. PLEASE ASSISIT WHERE POSIBLE !

Mble , John. A

INVOLVEMENT OF STAKEHOLDERS

Yes, friends,

As i told you before that, I am currently working with JIDA, a growing local organization based in Tabora, Tanzania. Among other donors/development parners, JIDA was sub granted by Pact Tanzania to implement a JALI WATOTO program in eight wards of Igunga District.

In May 2008 the contract was revised considering an extension of the program for five extra wards of Igunga and some 10 new wards in Nzega District.

The JALI WATOTO PROGRAM under Pact Tanzania is an associate award to community reach. USAID through global grants management offers competitive awards to civil society organizations to support best practices and innovative approaches to community based HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support activities.

JIDA is offering services to about 3,511 children in Igunga and Nzega Districts. the services include; educational services (uniforms, school materials and school fees), health services (mosquito nets, CHF cards), economic strengthening (Livestock support), shelter and psychosocial.

We do not just distribute services, we also make others part of the process. Mr Ezekiel, the field officer at Nzega, is trying to explain to caregivers on how they should assist the children to better keep the materials and uniforms they receive.

It is also very important to involve leaders during the distribution process. if the leaders are involved, we are assuered of sustainability. the people in Igunga and Nzega are pastoralists, that is why we think that livestock support is a very good intervention for the most vulnerable children. I can tell you what we do in a nutshell: we give a goat or two to a household where a child is living. when the goat delivers, we collect the new born, keep it for six months and distribute it to another child/household. in this case the program becomes sustainable. it is very wounderful friends, we constructed a livestock bank at Igunga where we keep the small goats.

Yes, shall give you some more stories on the wounderful work that USAID has supported JIDA through Pact Tanzania in Igunga and Nzega.

See you next time


Mbele, John (Nienga)

TUMEFANYA KAZI KUBWA na Pact Tanzania pale Nzega na Igunga

ASALAAM ALEIKUM NDUGU !

Mwaka 2007/2008/2009 ni mwaka tuliofanya kazi kubwa za kihistoria za kusaidia watoto wanaoishi katika mazingira hatarishi pale Igunga na Nzega. Mimi (John Mbele) nikiwa nafanya kazi katika shirika lisilokuwa la kiserikali la JIDA, tukifadhiliwa na Pact Tanzania. tumeweza kusaidia watoto 3,511. tumeweza kuwapatia unifomu za shule, vifaa vya shule, ada, bima za afya, mbuzi ( kwaajili ya kuimarisha hali zao za kiuchumi), huduma za kisaikolojia nk.

unaweza kuona baadhi ya picha za watoto wanaoishi katika mazingira hatarishi.Wafanyakazi wa pact wamekuwa karibu sana kuhakikisha kuwa kazi hizo zinafanyika vizuri, wanatoa ushauri mara kwa mara na kutembelea baadhi ya walengwa ili kubadlishana nao mawili matatu. Deo Seimu ametembelea mara ya mwisho, mwezi Januari mwaka huu 2009 na kushiriki baadhi ya shughuli zinazoendelea.

Naandaa makala kuuuubwa na nitaiweka katika blog hii na blog ya JIDA, nitasema mambo kibao, nitawawekea picha kibao, zingine zinatia moyo, na kama kawaida zingine zinatia huruma kidogo, hasa pale utakapoona maisha ya watoto wetu: wanavyohangaika na bila kuwa na mwelekeo.

JAMANI, KILA MTU ASAIDIE WATOTO WETU PALE ANAPOWEZA, KWA KADIRI YA UWEZO WAKE. LINAWEZEKANA KAMA KILA MMOJA WETU ATATIMIZA WAJIBU WAKE.

Mbele, John.