There is much talk lately about elderly citizens in Chamwino District (one of ActionAid Tanzania’s areas of operations in the Central part of Tanzania) having to survive by eating the produce of baobab trees alone.

As the world celebrated the 10^th Anniversary of the international year of Older persons, under the theme “Towards the society for All Ages” last September, the elders in Chamwino District in Dodoma Region were in a bad state of affairs with unprecedented severe hunger to cope with.

Just recently I accompanied journalists to tour Chamwino district and see first hand the negative effect drought is having on the region.

Chamwino district

Chamwino district is just one among 65 districts in Tanzania that has been badly affected by hunger, due to prolonged drought caused by climate changes that has affected rain pattern in the district for the past three years.

The district normally receives one season of rainfall per year starting from October to April. During 2008/2009 season, it received rainfall from December to February with an average of 28mm, which is very low compared to normal year where the average rain is between 500mm and 800mm across the country.

A report from Tanzania Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (June, 2009) revealed about 37,695 households in Chamwino district are food insecure with a total of 17,080 households being unable to afford to buy food.

While the annual requirement for the district is 63,501 tonnes of food the realized production for 2008/2009 season was only 12,178 tonnes, making a deficit of about 51,000 tonnes for this season.

According to the assessment done by the ministry of agriculture and food security, 17,963 households are food insecure and unable to purchase enough food to feed themselves. Average grain needs per household is 1,360 kgs which makes a total of 24,430 tonnes for the target households in the district.

Women headed households, orphans, old people and children are mostly affected by food insecurity and cannot afford to buy food.

Increasing food prices

Worse enough the prices of food items have increased from $0.50 to $1 per kg of maize flour, this is beyond reach by most families.

Moreover, price of livestock has decreased tremendously. All these worsen problem of food insecurity in the area which if purposeful efforts are not undertaken will ultimately impact women, children and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Persistent hunger has led to an increase in the number of pupils dropping out of schools from 10% in 2008 to 45 % by July 2009. A shocking result in a country trying to work itself out of poverty through education.

Learning to cope

Some coping mechanisms by the community include eating wild fruits, families separating by sending children to relatives in towns and cities, thus denying them an opportunity to continue with school, some men are opting to go to town in search of casual jobs leaving families and dependants behind.

“We’ve never experienced this before,” said an elder living in Chamwino who looked tired and exhausted because of hunger and starvation.

On our way back from Chamwino Rural to the regional head quarter in Dodoma, it was evident that the drought has rocked the place badly, but it is not until one goes deep in rural areas that you witness a story of serious hunger and starvation as most people especially elders are surviving on baobab juice alone.

On the same way we came across an old woman in front of her “tembe house” (a traditional gogo house that normally has no window) sitting outside on her traditional chair with her arms resting on her thighs and completely lost in her thought of bewilderment.

Her husband, John Simango, told us: “At this age, me and my wife cannot work we depend on neighbours and other well wishers the only thing we can afford to have is baobab from which we make stiff porridge”

ActionAid and the government has intervened by providing emergency relief food, but the situation is still alarming as the distributed food is very little compared to the demand, there is a deficit of 51, 000 tonnes of maize flour, and currently only 1,500 tonnes of maize has been distributed to elders, orphans, women headed families and people living with HIV/AIDS in 14 villages in the district.

Albert with a group of youths in Nzega, Tanzania

I recently visited a town called Nzega in northern Tanzania and met a group of small-scale gold miners. What they told me is typical of what happens in many other mining communities in Tanzania and helps explain why HIV & AIDS is such a problem in my country.

Nzega is located near a large open pit gold mine called Golden Pride, owned and operated by an Australian mining company, Resolute Mining. Many small scale miners operate outside of Golden Pride’s private mining area, searching for scraps of gold to sell.

There are an estimated one million small scale miners in Tanzania, in a country of 40 million.

The men and women I met were of varying ages, but all were covered in dust and carried forced smiles. They put their lives at risk every day by touching the mercury they use to extract the gold. Mercury is highly toxic and can get into your lungs, brain, heart and kidney – causing mercury poisoning.

I ask them why they take such a risk?  The answer is simple and clear – to become rich, have a big house, girlfriends, cars, respect… the list goes on.

So what is the first thing they do after selling a piece of gold?

The first thing is to go into town, buy new clothes and beer. By then the girls will know that the pit has “spit out” and, of course, what do you expect, all the beautiful girls will be yours.

With money you can buy everything, they say – reminding me of the old James Hadley Chase novel – The World in my Pocket.

“By this time it is only a matter of signalling to the one you want to have sex with,” interrupts one of the young boys.

“These urban girls know how to make you relax with a different style of sex than rural women, and you can have sex with different women until all the money finishes,” he says.

They explain that the workers at the Australian-owned mine do the same thing and have a provision in their contract to take a day just to relax. These workers sometimes compete for girls in Nzega, but also visit other towns.

“When the money finishes we come back to toil hard because the gold will be still there. Look at any fisher, hunters when they get money they just go to a nearby town to spend their money – with sex as the priority.”

But it is the attitude of these young men to sexually transmitted diseases that is the biggest problem.

“We do not use socks (condoms). Meat to meat is great. Let me tell you, HIV/AIDS is an accident like other diseases. All these are God’s wish and decision,” one of the young men tells me.

And there is my answer to why HIV/AIDS in small scale mining communities is so common. Although the disease is prevalent in Nzega, most of the residents are not aware of the preventative measures due to a lack of accurate information, the stigma of the disease and discrimination against those living with HIV and AIDS.

Making matters worse, access to primary health facilities in prevention, treatment, care and support to communities is low and ineffective in this area.

Although ActionAid does not have active programs in Nzega, in other communities our programs have helped slow down the spread of HIV/AIDS.

According to the Tanzania HIV/AIDS Indicator Survey for both 2004 and 2008, the country has experienced a slowing of new HIV and AIDS infections from an average of 7 to 5.7 percent respectively.

ActionAid Tanzania’s approach to HIV and AIDS is called STAR – Societies Tackling AIDS through Rights.

STAR is a participatory approach for community mobilization, empowerment and response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The STAR approach focuses on deepening community analysis and understanding of HIV and AIDS and its impacts for collective action.

Where we work, community groups have helped to bring poor peoples aspirations into government planning and budgeting. Where people living with HIV and AIDS have come together as groups to claim quality health care, there has been an increase in the use of condoms, people are more willing to be tested and women are taking the lead.

Women are taking a leading role in educating the rest of the community by providing correct and accurate information on HIV/AIDS. Moreover, STAR has helped to do away with traditions such as wife inheritance and other customary practices which fuel the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Visiting a community like Nzega, where HIV/AIDS is spreading fast reminds me why our STAR work is so important.

If you would like to learn more about ActionAid Tanzania’s programs to fight HIV/AIDS, please visit our website www.actionaid/tanzania.

Small Miners welcoming Tundu Lisu, the Advocates assisting them to demand their right

Small scale miners surrounding an Australian mining company in Nzega, welcoming the lawyer assisting them to demand their compensation from Australia and Tanzanian Government following their eviction from the area to let the giant Australian Mining Company to conduct mining activities

The disease remain the major killer in the country, despite various local and international initiatives to combat it,for many years taming malaria is one of Tanzania’s main priorities, in fact Tanzania is among African countries that have been quite aggressive in implementing malaria prevention and treatment programmes.

The Tanzania National Malaria Control programme is rated among the most effective, having been provided with sufficient anti-malarial drugs since 2006.

Despite all these effort the disease still kills mores more than 100,000 infants and attacks between 16 and 18 million people countrywide each year, this is not acceptable!

In Tanzania Zanzibar,malaria deaths has been cut by 90% ,thanks to large- scale prevention, treatment and care programmes, however on the mainland Tanzania the problem seems to be insurmountable . It is a pity that the mainland can not emulate Zanzibar success.

This is so yet the people even in the remotest areas, easily access and take antimalarial drugs frequently. But malaria parasites are becoming resistant  to drugs. This is what has forced the Tanzania Ministry of health and social  welfare to change the first line of choice of antimalarial time and again.

It is high time we re-examine our strategies to curb the malaria deaths, we need to seriously target mosquito-breeding grounds and decimate the insects before they  wipe us out

can someone help on this please!

Albert Jimwaga

Since last year during weekends and holidays when I am at home, my daughter Gloria (19) always  asks permission to have access to my laptop – reason for it to blog.

I had always thought it is a game until Stil came recently to train us. Thanks to Actionaid Australia had made me to start blogging in late 40s. Just imagine. Being my first ever blog post, I though I’d start by telling you a little bit about myself — where I come from and why I’ve dedicated a my life  at this age to finding a home for change where every individual is free from poverty, injustice and lives in dignity.

Traversing through my life has been an hectic one and people who knew me in my teens might be surprised to learn where I’ve ended up today.

I started my school life at the age of 5 walking barefooted 5km to a primary school and on weekends or holidays going either fishing or farming. My life was difficult and continues to be frustrating as I still even today see thousands of children being denied their right to education, their parents who are farmers, facing issues of market, extension services and inputs. People living with HIV/AIDS being stigmatized and not being able to access treatment and care. And women being denied their rights. In addition to this the poor, especially the women, are not involved in decision making and  the government is not accountable and transparent.

After graduating I joined the Government and then UNDP community in Antigua and Barbudat  and learned a lot from there. I returned home and worked with environmental conservation organizations including IUCN in Rufiji Delta before joining  ActionAid. So now I’m working with the incredibly talented team at ActionAid Tanzania — a privilege to work for this wonderful organisation. I’m excited to be connecting in ending poverty together through this blog. Please let me know the issues that you’re interested in hearing about and I’ll certainly do my best to engage with you as we embark on this journey and help our people claim their rights.

Abdul Kajumulo

My name is Abdul Kajumulo, a Tanzanian male born in Kagera Region western part of Tanzania, currently I am residing in Dar es Salaam. Working with ActionAid International Tanzania as Communications Coordinator.

Professionally I am a journalist, graduated in 2004 from the Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication of the University of Dar es Salaam.

Before joining ActionAid, I worked as  a Television Reporter with Local Based Television station ITV/Radio One

I love football, jogging during evening hours and watching TV — especially news programmes.

This is ActionAid International Tanzania. We are working towards a world without poverty.

In pursuit of our vision we welcome all peace loving people to give your views on a very important debate in Tanzania.

Should the mining companies in Tanzania pay taxes and conduct themselves in an environmentally sustainable manner?

We would like to hear views, comments, suggestions and evidence where they have or they have not conducted themselves in that manner.

Rose A Mushi
Country Director
ActionAid International Tanzania