The HOJA Project - Tanzania
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Monday 12th May 2008
COCO is working very closely with HOJA, a small organisation ran by local Tanzanian volunteers with a little help from their volunteer members in the USA and UK. A site visit in November 07 has encouraged the development of the partnership to benefit more children. One of the issues apparent in rural Tanzania is the inability of parents to pay secondary school fees for children. COCO's projects manager met some of the students who had been sponsored through HOJA in 2007 and it was clear that sponsoring more children was the way forward.
Projects:
The proceeds from the Fiver For February appeal helped refurbish a Vocational Training Centre in Songea, Tanzania. The Centre is designed to provide the poorest members of the community with skills to increase their chance of employment. By January the building was completed and lessons have subsequently begun. Skills such as tailoring, building and carpentry are taught alongside national curriculum subjects including numeracy and literacy. So far tailoring equipment, sewing machines, chairs and many technical items including setsquares, tape measures, screwdrivers, sand paper and tools have been bought. Two COCO volunteers are currently painting the VTC and all 40 of the students studying at the VTC have been given school uniforms- which they are very proud of.
Overview: HOJA and COCO share an ethos surrounding the importance of investing in children and their education. HOJA are a small volunteer organisation operating from the UK and Tanzania, focussing on the development of Tanga Ward in Southern Tanzania. The partnership was established to increase the effectiveness of projects. COCO and HOJA are currently assisting with the sponsorship of students to attend secondary education.
Background: In 2004, a group of young people were working as volunteers for the charity Students' Partnership Worldwide. Based within various villages in the Iringa region of the Southern Tanzanian Highlands, they were teaching in the local primary schools and working with the local youth. Although their work involved a wide range of activities, the main focus was on reducing young people's vulnerability to HIV. After this volunteering period, a voluntary student organisation called HOJA was established in the UK.
Unlike the Kilimanjaro region, due to its distance from the national parks and beaches, this area of Tanzania is not on the tourist map, and a lack of industry and investment has meant that many children continue to live in extreme poverty. This is also due to the lack of fertile land in this region, meaning that agriculture does not thrive as it does in the north of the country. HOJA have an office in Songea, the most urbanised area in the ward, where Tanzanian volunteer, Oswin Mahundi, manages and oversees the work.
Resolution: Secondary education Sponsorship Programme
Primary education in Tanzania is compulsory and free, yet the number of students advancing on to secondary school, let alone finishing their education, is very small. COCO and HOJA are currently sponsoring children to go to secondary school in the Revuma Region. Girls are particularly in need of this practical and economic help due to their increased vulnerability through the cultural belief that education is not necessary for girls . The sponsorship programme encourages equal enrolment of girls and boys and their progress is carefully moitored to ensure that they are making the most of their opportunity to study.
Future Plans: A micro finance scheme is also being piloted next year to encourage economic growth for families in this poverty stricken region.
Did you know..? According to UNICEF, between 1998-2002, secondary education enrolment was just 6% for boys and 5% for girls nationwide. This problem is not solely due to a lack of schools. In reality, most Tanzanians simply can't afford the fees of less than £70 a year for secondary education
Project Partners: The HOJA Project
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