About Organization

a)      Address ( Physical address)

b)      Mailing address

BEHIND DISTRICT COMMISIONER’S AND MAGISTRATE COURT’S OFFICE, 

FORMERLLY: MTWARA DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT COOPORATION LTD (MTWADECO) BUILDING

P.O. BOX 247, MTWARA – TANZANIA

TEL. +255 23 233 4379

FAX +255 23 233 4379,

MOBILE +255 755 100 266 and +255 713 501 804

E-mail : mtwara.paralegal@hotmail.com

        i.            Organization name

The Organization name is Mtwara Paralegal Center Company Limited, this organization is registered on 06^th November 2008, under company Act number 12 of 2002. Is registered as a company limited by guarantee and not having share capital (refer section number 15), with registration number 68511.

      ii.            The organization Vision:-

Women and children access and enjoy their rights in the community

    iii.            Mission

To educate the community members on combating, stigma, discrimination, corruption, HIV and AIDS infections, legal aid provision (advises and assistance), lobbying and advocacy on human rights (to women, children, disabled, PLWHIV AIDS, widows, MVC and orphans), participating in cross cutting issues, empowering vulnerable groups on life skills and income generating activities and encourage women to participate on social, economy, political and various leadership posts in the communities

    iv.            Goals

• To bring equal opportunities to all gender
• To empower and promote women’s confidence and competence on social matters
• To ensure women, children and other vulnerable to access their rights in the communities
• To manage day care centers and schools for vulnerable children
• To maintain social disciplinary, solidarity, love and peace through justice
• To alleviate poverty financially/academically and improve life standard

      v.            Objectives

• Creating awareness to communities on various tangible policies, laws, by-laws, regulations and rules upon constitution, laws and legal
• Providing legal aid services, advises and assistance to women, children and vulnerable groups in the communities
• Combating corruption, HIV and AIDS infection, early pregnancies and marriage, gender discrimination, stigma, violation and cross cutting issues in the communities
• Discouraging outdated norms, customary laws and traditional behaviors
• Establishing day care centers and schools for education, care, support and maintenance to vulnerable groups in the communities
• Uniting and linking vulnerable groups with other community members to share knowledge and experiences concerning social matters (ie. Establishing savings and credits foundations, formation of economic groups for income generating activities, disseminating and transfer life skills technologies)
• Lobbying and advocacy to women’s and children’s rights and inheritance rights to family properties and liabilities  
• Capacitating women to develop self-confidences on social and political matters in the communities
• Capacity enhancement and empowering legal aid providers to deliver the legal services to communities member
• Establishing sub centers in district level to bring the legal aid services near to rural communities
• Creating outreach programme monthly, to visit rural communities for capacity building to Village Land Tribunal and Ward Council to enable solving land conflicts accordingly at village and ward level to minimize number of Land Dispute cases at District land and Housing Tribunal, which is distant for rural communities members to attend frequently while to manage daily farm operation activities.

    vi.            Location

Mtwara Region is situated in the Southeastern corner of Tanzania. It is a coastal Region lying between Longitude 38° and 40° 30’ East and Latitude 10° 05’ and Ruvuma river and Mozambique in the South, Ruvuma Region in the West and Lindi Region in the North.

  vii.            Land area and administrative units

The Region has an area of 16,720 km2 of which 14,170 km2 (85%) is available for Human settlement and agricultural production. Administratively the Region is divided into five Districts namely, Mtwara, Masasi, Nanyumbu, Newala and Tandahimba. This is further subdivided into five rural District Councils such as Mtwara, Masasi, Newala, Nanyumbu and Tandahimba district councils and one municipal council Mtwara/Mikindani. Villages distributed as follows:

Table 1: Land area and Administrative units

        i.            Population

In 2002 the Region had a population of 1,128,523 (2002 census), of which 52.6% were women. Between the 1988 and 2002 censuses there was an average population growth rate of 1.7%. Most of the people live, in the Region’s 651 rural villages. The population densities of the Region have increased from an average of 53.0 to 67.5 persons per square kilometer between the two censuses. The region is one of the most densely populated regions, which ranks fourth in the Country. Either geographically the region has rough surface roads to interiors (were many villages are allocated) from hard surface (Tarmac) roads

Table 2: District Population