NABROHO is an acronym for Nassa Brotherhood Society. NABROHO is a registered non-governmental, non-religious, non-partisan and non-profit making organization (NGO). The organization is registered by the Ministries of Home Affairs in Tanzania under the Societies Ordnance, 1954 with registration number SO. 10404 and was founded by well wishing Tanzanians in 1995 to create a wider understanding and recognition of ageing issues particularly rights and entitlements. by supporting a strong movement of old people to defend and up hold their rights by facilitating their interaction with government structure and access to information and resources. NASSA BROTHERHOOD SOCIETY FOR THE AGED (NABROHO) is a national NGO striving for the rights of disadvantaged older people to economic and physical security. Healthcare social services and support.

GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUS: Mwanza, Simiyu and Mara Region

ISSUE FOCUS: Human Rights and Poverty alleviation

VISION: we want to see the rights and needs of older people are integrated into Plans and budgets of LGAs by the end of 2015

MISSION: Supporting a strong movement of old people to defend and up hold their rights by facilitating their interaction with government structures and access to information and resources

NABROHO SOCIETY FOR THE AGED

THE CONCEPT OF HAVING VILLAGE AGE RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AS A STRATEGY TO ERADICATE MURDER OF OLDERWOMEN IN SUKUMALAND TANZANIA

INTRODUCTION

in January 2009,the Prime minister revealed in the parliament that a total of 2,866 people had been murdered in Tanzania over the past five years(2004-2008) this trend shows an average of 573 older people died per year on allegation of witch craft and most from Sukumaland. NABROHO is an acronym for Nassa Brotherhood Society. NABROHO is a registered non-governmental, non-religious, non-partisan and non-profit making organization (NGO). The organization is registered by the Ministries of Home Affairs inTanzaniaunder the Societies Ordnance, 1954 with registration number SO. 10404 and was founded by well wishing Tanzanians in 1995 to create a wider understanding and recognition of ageing issues particularly rights and entitlements, by supporting a strong movement of old people to defend and up hold their rights by facilitating their interaction with government structure and access to information and resources

CONCEPT OVERVIEW

In the context of NABROHO the age rights activists (VARAs) this will be the people at the village level who will be main advocators of age rights and strong defenders of older people. NABROHO believes (V.A.R.As) should be recruited and strongly imparted with facts and figures about issues affecting older people. NABROHO calls governments and civil societies to integrate all sub-villages headman “Basumbabatale” Into the fighting against the murder of older people in Sukumaland. According to the culture of Sukuma people Basumba batale are found in each sub villages these are always two in one the principle and the deputy, their major roles is to coordinate cultural and customary issues . This people are very important in the fighting against murders of older women in our societies.

Experience shows that, Head men “Basumbabatale” in most cases but not often are consulted by community members to identify suspects of witchery practices especially when there is unexplained death, in sukuma context unexplained death is the one which most of the people are not satisfied by the cause of it or when the death has occurred suddenly and some time loss of children due to several factors including self decision to vacate from home due to difficult living situation and etc. Basumbabatale in collaboration with very conservative older men can hold a meeting to identify causes and spread this rumors which eventually may lead to older women victimization.

In Sukumaland headmen “Basumbabatale” are key announcers of any kind of customary punishment targeting any person at sub village level, they are trusted and feared, head men are always the main in charge at any burial ceremony ,they are the key persons to be informed on the occurrence of the particular death and are the last to leave the site after mourning days and possibly after the occasion to distribute the properties of the deceased one “Isabingula” with that point in view headmen “Basumbabatale” leave the scene of event while having a number of useful information including family way forward and expectations after that particular death, head men are believed to be aware of so many cultural values, through interaction and experience. Basing on that situation alone head men in Sukumaland should be the primary defenders of older people against threats, accuse and murder, with the following reasons:-

 

 

 

• Witchery has some thing to do with culture and believes, head men “Basumbabatale” are deep in that.
• Head men “Basumbabatale” are feared and their opinions are primary trusted
• Most of head men know very well people who are suspected of being watchers in their locality, they can warn and being respected
• they can provide useful information to the government in relation to the killings of older people
• Most of them but not every one know the criminals who are hired to attack older people.
• They are available in every sub-village, they are courageous and respected by people
• They are speakers of most customary issues in Sukuma communities
• They know everybody in that locality

In Sukuma societies apart from the killings of the suspects of witchery there is another form of punishments which are commonly assigned to women especially older women. One of the most common punishments is that, older women can be assigned to dig grave during burial ceremony around, sent to the distance place to inform some relatives on the death, around all that, the head men “Basumbabatale” are the key players, to propose the kind of punishment, announce the punishment, monitors implementations, makes follow-ups and suggest future punishment for those will not comply. Basing on this situation we find that headmen in Sukuma communities are culturally very powerful leaders and cannot be left behind in the fighting against the murder of older people.

HOW AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE TO INTERGRATE HEAD MEN “Basumbabatale” IN CHALLEGING ACCUSE, THREATS AND KILLINGS OF OLDER PEOPLE IN SUKUMALAND

• Village defense and Security committees by instructing headmen to Promote, Respect and Protect older people’ rights and incentive giving to those who manages un occurrence of OP murder
• Police Force through community Police by facilitating, engagement of head men and incentive giving for those who manages un occurrence of OP murder
• District defense and security Committee by instructing village to integrate headmen in the fighting against accuse, threats and killings of older people but also incentives giving
• WDCs by instructing village council to integrate headmen into serious Protection, Respect and Promotion of older people’ rights and incentive giving plan
• Age care organizations by disseminating facts and figures on the situation of older people and facilitating awareness raising meetings
• Older people’s Forum (OPF) by requesting head men to have plan that reflect their security
• LGAs through social welfare officer s and older people focal person by facilitating engagement of headmen and incentives giving to executives and headmen who manages un occurrence of older people killings in his/her area of work at certain given period of time
• Politicians by encouraging and influencing headmen to reflect the rights of OP

PREPARED BY KUBINI NKONDO KUBINI

PROGRAM MANAGER

SUKUMA LAND AGE DEMANDS ACTIONS PROGRAM

MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE 2000

Since 2000 the organization has achieved a number of successes in its mission and vision including that, in the villages where we have been working both in Magu and Kwimba districts the village that had high rate of killings of older women due to witch craft allegations the killings   have gone down by more than 80%

Analysis of information from the Witchcraft Killings Monitoring forms (WKMF) shows that witchcraft killings and threatening letters to older women have been reduced significantly. In the programme villages plus another 8 nearby villages the 8 villages involved in the list for assessing our neighborhood adoption strategy, the WKMF shows the following: a reduction in witchcraft killings from 13 in 2007 to 1 in 2008, and the receipt of threatening letters from 48 in 2007 to 4 in 2008.

Moreover a case study below provides an example of the impacts of reduced witchcraft allegations on older women.

Pasikazia Makelema, 57 years from Bugandando village- Kwimba district

“I was born here, and married a local man. One day, about five years ago, I went to the market to

buy groundnuts. When I came back, some of the neighbours’ children were playing near my home. I gave them some of the groundnuts. One of the children had cerebral malaria and that night became sick and died. The family blamed me, saying that I had poisoned the child with the groundnuts, but he was already ill because of the malaria.

 A couple of months later, I was in bed sleeping, when I was attacked with a machete. I think there were five men, but only one of them was attacking me. He cut my shoulder, arms and hand. The attack only stopped because some people threw stones at the house and the attackers thought someone was coming. I do not think it was the Sungusungu who attacked me; I think it was people who had been hired privately by the family.

 After the attack, my husband and my children took me to hospital. Yet, when I returned home, my husband left me and he is married to another woman and lives in another place. I couldn’t go to the police as I had spent all our money at the hospital and also, I had no support from my husband. Even if I had gone to the police, I know what would have happened. They would have arrested those responsible, but they would have released them soon after.

 After my attack, I received no support from the community. I know other women who have also been attacked. One woman was killed just last night.

I’m not sure what can be done to address this problem. The issue is difficult because it’s people’s belief. The belief in witchcraft is held deeply in people’s hearts NABROHO’s programme has at least moved people away from this belief to some extent. At least now, people are talking about the issue openly in the community. Now I can go without fear to village meetings and am accepted again by people in the community.

I live with my son and daughter-in-law and they support me. I remained on my husband’s land. I want those responsible for these attacks to be removed by the government. I would also like support in the form of food, clothes and cash. I would like support caring for grandchildren.” 

• NABROHO is indicating impressive successes and is gradually creating an environment in which women, especially older women, can exercise their civil and political rights.

                                       

 Community institutions and duty bearers, older people’s structures, and community members are progressively taking more active roles in the organization projects and their attitudes towards older women are gradually changing and becoming more positive.  This has been reflected in the reduction of witchcraft killings and threatening letters sent to older women in the project areas, inclusion of international day of older persons in district local councils’ Annual events calendar, allocation of funds targeting issues affecting older persons in their budgets and Plans

In the 15 villages that the organization has already worked with, community development plans are reflecting awareness rising and the rights protection activities, there is meetings involving government leaders and other stakeholders are including discussions on the rights of older women. Moreover, as a result of organization’s activities, village and ward development plans are reflecting budget allocations to respond to the needs of older people and OVCs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NABROHO SOCIETY FOR THE AGED in collaboration with HelpAge International provide public with facts about the impact of HIV/AIDS so that the community understands the buddern born by older persons in caring people affected by HIV/AIDS and have plan to assist them .

support Plan of NABROHO to achive this goal

many older persons in rural Tanzania especially  women are accused of every thing from witchcrfat to preventing or causing too much rain for this they are tortured and assaulted we request you to support plan to end this

Attitude that see older people as use use less,spentforces,ugly and evil need to change so that older people are no longer relegated to the bottom of social structures

older persons especialy women in Tanzania play a major role by caring for people affected by HIV/AIDS and then bringing up orphaned grand chldren.

There are just over 2 million older people in Tanzania - 4.64 per cent of the population.

• Older people continue to play a key role in Tanzania’s economic and social development.

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cent of Tanzania’s 2 million orphans and vulnerable children are cared for by older people.

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Older people – particularly older women – frequently experience discrimination, rights abuse and

 

social exclusion.

Addressing old age poverty is key to addressing inter-generational poverty in a context where 53 per

Some 73 per cent of older people remain economically active – mostly in agriculture.

Older people and their families face high health care costs associated with accessing health services

 

for a range of chronic illnesses.

Older people are more likely to experience ill-health and disability than other age groups and

 

constitute around 30 per cent of the disabled population nationally.

Around 30 per cent of households in the poorest three income deciles include an older person.

Older people and their families are highly likely to experience poverty: poverty rates amongst

 

households with older people are 22.4 per cent higher than the national poverty rate (40.9 per cent).

Some 82 per cent of older people live in rural areas.

Older people are present in almost one in four households nationally.

• ·        Idadi ya watanzania inakadiliwa kuwa 38 Million+
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• ·        Wengi wa wazee hao ni miongoni mwa watanzania masikini sana
• ·        Umasikini ni mwingi zaidi vijijini ambako karibia 90% ya wazee wa nchi hii huishi
• ·