(a) Tujikomboe Group offer legal education on probate procedures, inheritance laws and will writing to parents, guardians, teachers, community leaders and children. This intervention has been done in the wards of Kidodi, Ulaya, Ruhembe, Malolo and Mikumi in Kilosa District-Morogoro and in Kilulu ward in Muheza District Tanga since the year 2006 to 2010. Tujikomboe Group survey finds revealed that, while HIV accelerate increased number of orphans and vulnerable children; in many cases, parents died without making a “will”. Relatives took the properties of the deceased parent leaving children homeless and property less. Children and the widow are mostly affected as they have no power to claim their right to inherit. Because there is no written “will” made by a father, definitely, there is no appointed guardian. Children may be forced to live with relative whom to them is a bad one. Many people are still in the darkness, they have no information about a will, some of them who had heard about a will they lack knowledge of writing it. Strengthening of legal education on the law of inheritance and will writing to parents, guardians, teachers and community leaders has been Tujikomboe Group priority. The aim of this activity is to impart knowledge and skills to parents, children and caretakers on how to write and document “will”, enable them to understand probate procedures and the laws govern inheritances in Tanzania.
(b) Tujikomboe Group offers community mobile birth registration to reach children in the remote areas and provide them with birth certificate. Mobile birth registration strategy which implies registering births at the village level has first been conducted in Tanzania by Tujikomboe Group since the year 2006 with financial support from Firelight Foundation. In this process of mobile birth registration, Birth and Deaths Registrar is contracted by Tujikomboe Group, join with Tujikomboe Group team in a car, and went to the villages with all the necessary registration documents for registering child births. Great achievements have been made by Tujikomboe Group in this intervention; where a total of 1,372 children who reside in the wards of Ruhembe, Kidodi, Malolo, Mikumi and Ulaya were registered and provided with birth certificate since the year 2006 to 2009. Among those registered, the <5 years children are 291(male 173, female 118), children aged 6-10 years are 490(male 289, female 201), children aged 11-18 years are 591 (male 340, female 251). In the year 2011 in Kilulu ward- Muheza District-Tanga region, a total of 407 children and young people were registered and provided with birth certificates while 45 parents, guardians, teacher and community leaders trained on the laws of inheritance and will writing. In the project area, mobile birth registration gain a substantial achievements as it really sustained at the local level such that: many parents who were not registered their children during the scheduled days of mobile registration due to different reasons, are now use to save money and travel to Kilosa District to meet the Birth and Death Registrar so as to register their children and redeem birth certificate, the situation which was not a common practice before the project
(c) Tujikomboe Group found imperative to conduct a National Workshop on Universal Birth Registration. Different stakeholders such as UNICEF, RITA, Legal and Human Right Centre and Plan International were invited to attend the workshop held at Land Mark Hotel-D.S.M. The purpose of the workshop was to educate others, to share experience, lesson leant and challenges with others regards to the issue of rolling forward universal birth registration in Tanzania: Tujikomboe Group, through its experience find the necessity of amending birth registration acts to allow localization of birth registration process by the use health facilities so that a new born can get birth certificate within the age of 90 days and that all < 5 years children attending clinic for immunization can be registered and provided birth certificate. At the local, village government be empowered by laws to register birth and provide the certificate. The workshop went successfully and papers were presented that shows a road map for policy and law review to allow such described changes. However, the results of this workshop manifested within few months because, the government agency for registration of birth known as RITA declared to adopt Tujikomboe Group strategy whereby in July 2011 the <5years national birth registration strategy(U5NBRS) to be implemented after review of registration act, consultation with partner ministries such as Ministry of Health and Social welfare and Prime Minister Office-Regional Administration and Local Government
(d) Tujikomboe Group offer extension services to small scale famers. This is done by conduct Participatory Reflection Action (PRA) at the village level where the three most identified felt needs are outlined by community members during community meetings and researched for actions to be taken. For example PRA conducted at Kitete Msindazi Village in Ruhembe ward-Kilosa made youth (men and women) to come out with feasible plan of utilizing a piece of land of 3 acres for horticulture. The land is crossed by spring water that adds value for irrigation farming. The group grows onions, tomatoes, lady fingers and salad. This group has embarked to this project after researching for price of inputs, market of their products, competitors and other factors such as environment.
(e) In another scenario; Tujikomboe Group contracted by Plan International to train Medical Officers, Midwives Nurses and Registered Nurses in Kisarawe District-Coast Region and Ilemela District-Mwanza Region. The consultancy work required that, consultant should training these medical officers on Home-Based Life Saving Skills (HBLSS), who will then train Dispensary workers and Community Health Workers(CHW) on skills necessary to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths. Home-Based Life Saving Skills (HBLSS), has been developed by the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) Department of Global Outreach (Buffington etal. 2004), is a community-based, family-centered program developed with the aim of reducing maternal and newborn deaths. Objectives of the HBLSS program include :( 1) decreasing delays in recognition and response to major complications,(2) increasing access to emergency maternal and neonatal care, and(3)encouraging timely, appropriate emergency referral where referral is possible. HBLSS tend to increases access to basic life-saving care with the home and community. Home-Based Life Saving Skills (HBLSS) represent a critical rethinking of conventional community-based approaches in several ways, such that: take into account the social context of childbirth, focusing on the pregnant women, her family caregivers and the home birth attendant as a team: addressing the challenges of responding to unpredictable life-threatening complications, this includes problems recognitions, first aid care, referral decision-making and knowing where to get help.
(f) Tujikomboe Group offers community awareness education on HIV&AIDS prevention to in-school children. Currently, 580 in-school peer educators trained as peer educators on HIV in two wards of Kidodi and Ruhembe located in Kilosa District. The in-school peer education program on HIV has increased wide understanding on HIV & AIDS. In-school peer educators were trained on HIV prevention, stigma reduction and counseling skills. The in-school peer education program on HIV made children to get courage to go for HIV testing. A total of 21 in-school children (male 10 female 11) have been tested for HIV. If you visit one of the primary school in the project area, you will find HIV education posters placed against the walls of the classrooms. The posters have been made by peer educators as a mean to educate other pupils. This shown that peer education intervention on HIV prevention has sustained at the project areas. Also, community meetings on HIV/AIDS prevention, stigma reduction and impact mitigations were offered at the village levels where community members in the four wards-Kidodi, Mikumi, Ulaya and Ruhembe benefited.
THE STORY OF GRANT # 10-5631R FOR THE YEAR 2010-2011
Issues Addressed
HIV/ AIDS pandemic is the major cause of increased number of orphans and other vulnerable children in Tanzania, coupled with other factors such as poverty and family/social disintegration. Orphans and other vulnerable children, particularly those who are the most vulnerable in accessing basic rights and needs, such as care, support and protection are the most affected by the devastation. Traditionally, orphans and other vulnerable children were well taken care of by their close relatives and neighbors. These safety nets have been weakened due to socio-economic factors like extreme poverty, and HIV/AIDS. Consequently the number of orphans and other vulnerable children has grown beyond the capacity of communities to handle. In addressing this situation the government and other stakeholders have responded in different ways to the provision of care, support and protection for these children. The National Costed Plan of Action (NCPA) for Most Vulnerable Children (MOHSW, 2007) outlines the national strategy for addressing the needs of MVC. For these guidelines, MVC needs have been categorized into eight main service areas (clusters) in line with the NCPA as well as the national framework on quality standards (MOHSW, 2008). These needs include:
1. Food and nutrition
2. Shelter
3. Family-based care and support
4. Social protection and security
5. Primary healthcare
6. Psychosocial care and support
7. Education and vocational training
8. Household economic strengthening
Tujikomboe Group under project # 10-5631R is therefore responding to cluster number four (social protection and security). It was found imperative to provide birth certificates to most vulnerable children in order to make them recognized by state, reducing their vulnerability and legally integrate them with their families and their nationality. For the purpose of making inherit right better to children, birth certificates can provide legal proof of the child identity and family ties. This makes easier to enforce their right to parental property in a court of law. Tujikomboe Group sees that: to break the cycle of vulnerability, parents should be educated on the laws of inheritance and will write, and encouraged to write a will before they die. A combined set of will (for the case of parent) and birth certificate (for the case of child) can legally protect children and enable them to secure their rights
Situation Analysis of the Project Area-Kilulu Ward
Kilulu ward is one among the wards found in Muheza District. It is about 15KM from Muheza District headquarters and about 45KM from Tujikomboe Office of Tanga. The ward has a total population of 7,822 people where male are 4,312 and female are 3,506. The ward has 1,575 total numbers of households, about 98% of the households depend on farming and the rest 2% engaged in petty trade and formal employment. Kilulu ward has good fertile land that supports both biannual and perennial crops. People grown maize, beans, banana and cassava as cash crops while citrus and coconut are cash crops. There are five villages, Kilulu, Enzi, Semngano, Kwemsala and Kwamdakeo.
Program Design, Implementation and Achievements
Tujikomboe Group implemented project number 10-5631R known as Rolling forward mobile birth registration advocacy and legal education to children, parents, guardians and community leaders in Kilulu ward, because there was low understood on inheritance laws, will writings and low birth registration coverage. Many families were not familiar on the laws of probate, inheritance, will writing and birth certificate. Community request from Kilulu ward Office and baseline survey conducted by Tujikomboe Group in the same ward, justify the need for Tujikomboe Group to work together in implementing this project. The approach of Mobile birth registration was used to reach children in all villages located in Kilulu ward to register births of child and young peoples. Legal education training on probates, will writing and inheritance laws was highly strengthened to parents, guardians, children, teachers and community leaders at the ward level. It is likely to say that the selected interventions created positive results.
Training on Legal Education Intervention
The training was officially opened at 10:00am by Mr. Halid Mahonge who is Ward Executive Officer(WEO) for Kilulu ward, among other things he put a seriously emphases to the participants to be attentive in order to grasp properly all the knowledge that will be imparted to them throughout the training. After the said introduction participants were given an opportunity to introduce themselves by names. The training was attended by the total of 40(100% attendance). Participants of the training were guardians, parents, community leaders from Kilulu Ward. To ensure the said knowledge is provided at all levels also four (4) students as representative of other children were also invited in the said training. The issue of gender was also observed in this training since among the 40 participants who attended there were 20 female participants. It took one for intensive training and the second day was for logistics and report writing. After the introduction of the participants the leaders of TUJIKOMBOE GROUP also introduced themselves together with introducing the facilitator and the training officially commenced. The facilitator divided the training in 3 parts; these were Probate, Probate Proceedings and Will Writing.
PROBATE
In this part the participants were empowered on what is probate and how to pursue probate proceedings from the initial stages to the grant of letter of administration. In this particular part the participants were taught about the probate proceedings with and in the absence of will and the consequences. Also the participants were taught the three laws used in administration of the deceased estate when the deceased dead interstate.
Another issue that was addressed to the participants is the complication that occurs in division of deceased properties in the absence of a valid will. Several questions were raised in this part including one participant who wanted to know the status of the children born out of wedlock in the division of properties in the deceased estate. Another participant inquired on the procedure of obtaining terminal benefits of the deceased who was a government employee.
Probate Proceedings
Participants were also empowered on the probate proceedings and how the same can be pursued from the incident of death to the grant of letters of administration. In this part, the role of the administrator of the deceased estate was properly discussed together with other crucial matter to that respect. Several experience of probate dispute from the procedure to the family disputes that makes the probate proceedings endless were addressed to the participants. Also one of the participant share her experience on the probate proceedings of her deceased father as the said participant was making follow ups of the same to the end of the matter.
Several questions were raised in this part including one participant who wanted to know the status of the children born out of wedlock in the division of properties in the deceased estate. Another participant inquired on the procedure of obtaining terminal benefits of the deceased who was a government employee.
WILL WRITING
In this topic the facilitators defined ‘will’ together with elaborating more than 10 essential requirements of a valid will that can be enforced by the beneficiaries or any interested party. The facilitator taught the issue of amendment or alteration of will and its consequences. The issue of Disinheritance and its reasons together with the precautions in effectively excluding a lawful beneficiary in a will was also discussed. The issues of where to refer disputes and how to safely keep the will were discussed in this part. In this part there were 3 questions from the participants which were raised in trying to grasp the issues taught.
How to Drafting a Will
In this part the facilitator took the participants through the whole essential requirements in drafting a will. This was done by a vivid example of a will which all the participants were able to draft with the assistance of the facilitator. In doing so the participants also were asking question on different scenarios of the said will including questions on the format that will be used in drafting a will in the polygamous marriage.(A copy of will template is available at Tujikomboe Group offices)
MOBILE BIRTH REGISTRATION
Tujikomboe Group managed to conduct mobile birth registration at Kilulu ward. Under this intervention, Tujikomboe Group was responsible to conduct community sensitization and mobilization for birth registration, and setting logistics, while RITA-represented by Muheza District Birth and Death registrar Mr. Lusungu Nyagawa was contracted by Tujikomboe Group to undertake registration of child births during Mobile Birth Registration Strategy at Kilulu ward.
There were five birth registration points, one from each village of Kilulu, Enzi, Semngano, Kwamdakeo and Kwemsala. These registration points were established so as to meet people in their nearest localities. The time table for birth registration developed by the Ward Executive Officer in collaboration with staffs of Tujikomboe Group was used to reach registration point effectively.
Achievements
Great achievements have been made on birth registration intervention conducted at Kilulu ward, such that, 407 children and young people were registered and provided with birth certificates. This achievement surpassed the planned target of 250 children by 61%. Tujikomboe Group managed to surpass the target because it played a great role in sensitize and mobilize on the importance of birth registration and birth certificates. Different approaches such as drama, street louder speakers and community meetings were employed to create mass awareness on birth registration. There was good cooperation between Tujikomboe Group, community leaders and members of the community in executing this intervention. Village leaders were highly utilized as they were the one who organized for community awareness meetings on importance of birth registration, select the best local drama to perform for community sensitization and education on procedures of acquiring birth certificate and how birth certificate is important to their children. Not only was that, children in school not passive but active in educating their fellows on their rights to have birth certificate. They also advise their parents to save money so that, they (parents) could pay fee of their birth certificate to the registrar when birth registration date falls in their respective villages.
Cumulative Progress on Mobile Birth Registration in Tanzania
Mobile birth registration strategy which implies registering births at the village level has first been conducted in Tanzania by Tujikomboe Group with financial support from Firelight Foundation. From the year 2006 to 2010, a total of 1,372 children and young people were registered and provided with birth certificate, while 250 children, parents, guardians, teachers and community leaders were trained on inheritance rights, probate and will writing, these interventions were done in the wards of Ruhembe, Kidodi, Malolo, Mikumi and Ulaya located in Kilosa District-Morogoro. In the year 2011 in Kilulu ward- Muheza District-Tanga region, a total of 407 children and young people were registered and provided with birth certificates while 45 parents, guardians, teacher and community leaders trained on the laws of inheritance and will writing.
THE NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON UNIVERSAL BIRTH REGISTRATION HELD IN DAR ES SALAAM
Why the National Workshop on Universal Birth Registration was Necessary to be done?
Tujikomboe Group found imperative to conduct a National Workshop on Universal Birth Registration. Different stakeholders such as UNICEF, RITA, Legal and Human Right Center and Plan International were invited to attend the workshop held at Land Mark Hotel-D.S.M. The purpose of the workshop was to educate others, to share experience, lesson leant and challenges with others regards to the issue of rolling forward universal birth registration in Tanzania: Tujikomboe Group, through its experience find the necessity of amending birth registration acts to allow health facilities to be used as District Birth and Death Registrar sub-office so that a new born can get birth certificate within the age of 7 days. Second, free birth certificate to children below 18 years is important, basic and logical in order to capture the backlog of unregistered children. Third; organization working to promoting birth registration and its certification should adopt the strategy of Mobile Birth Registration from Tujikomboe Group. To conduct National Workshop on Universal Birth Registration was also necessary to see what other stakeholder the works of Tujikomboe Group. The workshop went successfully and papers were presented that shows a road map for policy and law review to allow such described changes.
Proceedings of National Workshop on Universal Birth Registration Advocacy
Workshop paper presented by UNICEF
The situation of children in Tanzania: Can Children be exempted to pay Birth Registration Fees?
This paper was presented by Mr. Jones John who is Child Justice Specialist-UNICEF-Tanzania. He said; Data on birth registration in Tanzania is scanty and sporadic. However periodic surveys such as the Tanzania HIV AIDS Multi Indicators Survey (THMIS) and Demographic Household Survey (DHS) shows currently birth registration coverage is at 20.1 % and only 6% have birth certificates of the collected data for children under 5 years.
Mr. Jones elaborated that: In Tanzania today birth registration is a two step process, whereby upon birth, the event is registered into the official log kept at the health facility where the birth has occurred and the notification paper issued. The registration in the sense of recording bio data in the register and being issued with notification is free if done within 90 days from delivery. However notification paper is not an official birth certificate and therefore does not complete the registration process. An application for a birth certificate must be submitted subsequently , with a processing fee of Tsh 3,500 (US$2.50) if done within 90 days after delivery or Tshs. 4,000-10,000 (US$ 3 to US$7.50) depending how late the application is submitted. Delays usually result in additional fees and longer verification procedure if no prior notification was obtained. The issuance of birth certificates therefore marks the completion of registration of birth. The variation between 20% of birth registration and 6% of actual possession of birth certificates is explained by this fact in the sense that children who get registered and issued with birth notification never get back to process certification which marks the end the process and conclusively bestows the citizenship rights to an individual through the documentary proof.
According to Mr. Jones: when asked: if free certification is possible? He said: Yes, to a great measure. It all depends on Political will- that advocacy efforts need to be intensified to the government to prioritize vital registration agenda, and Greater resource allocation to RITA and other institutions dealing with birth registrations must be a priority. On the issue of universal birth registration he said: Birth registration and certification is not only a human right, it is also a vital component of child protection. It is indeed the first right of children recognized globally as Convention on the Right of Child provides. He lastly reminded participants that: For states which cannot guarantee this essential right at the beginning of one’s life can perhaps never guarantee greater rights afterwards in one’s life.
Workshop Paper presented by Tujikomboe Group
Promoting Mobile Birth Registration Strategy: A lesson learnt on community mobile birth registration interventions in Tanzania.
The paper explained Mobile Birth Registration Strategy, its meaning, the way it is supposed to be conducted, its advantages and the need to scale it out to other parts of Tanzania Mainland. The presenter Mr. Shamsi Mhina said that: Mobile Birth Registration if well conducted as its usually done by Tujikomboe Group; has tendency of leaving the legacy, creating reciprocal change to the people on the need to get birth certificate; localizing the process of registering birth; and guarantee ownership of the project.
According to him; Tujikomboe Group is the first organization in Tanzania to use the approach of Mobile Birth Registration since the year 2006. Other organizations such as RITA copied the strategy but not the same way because, they campaigns Mobile Birth Registration in urban areas, leaving most rural areas without the campaigns. Not only that, in most of its mobile birth registration campaigns, RITA found to left aside the principle propounded by Tujikomboe Group of “where birth is registered is where birth certificate should be granted”. As a result, in some localities like Tanga City, RITA left so many birth certificates not reached beneficiaries because they did not bring back birth certificates to local level areas where registration conducted. The presenter requested RITA to rectify its mobile birth registration campaigns and learn from Tujikomboe Group. He also argued all stakeholders to adopt the kind of Mobile Birth Registration conducted by Tujikomboe Group.
Workshop Paper Presented by RITA
Successes and Challenges in rolling forward Birth Registration in Tanzania: The possible way forward to Accept:
Presenter Mrs. Patricia Mpuya from RITA narrated that: The Registration Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency (RITA) was established from what was known as the Administrator General’s Department in the Attorney General’s Chambers, under the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. It was officially launched on June 2006. It took over the functions and responsibilities, which were formerly vested in the Administrator General’s Department. She added that: Birth Registration Law was adopted from the colonial era. It was discriminative and it only required foreigners, Somalis and Asians to be registered. This resulted into non-registration of most natives. As a result, many Tanzanian’s are not registered to date. Today, birth registration is compulsory in Tanzania after the amendments of 2009 that give birth to the “The Registration of Births and Deaths Act Cap 108 R.E. 2002”. Photo shown: Mrs: Patricia Mpuya from RITA presenting a Workshop Paper during a National Workshop on Universal Birth Registration held at Land Mark Hotel-D.S.M
Mrs. Patricia cited some of the successes as: Trainings on Births and Deaths procedures to RITA’s key Partners including health officials and local government officials as well as strengthening of Mobile birth registration though campaigns.
Workshop Paper from Legal and Human Right Centre
Policy and Legal Implication of Using Health Facilities as Birth Registration Sub-Offices
This paper was presented by Mr. Reginald Martin who is an Advocate at Legal and Human Right Centre: The paper pinpointed that: It is government policy that every child should be registered at birth, and this is covered by the Births and Deaths Registration Act (Cap 108 R.E 2002). However, there is a huge gap between law and practice. Birth registration is not fully decentralized, and so many families have to travel long distances, particularly in rural areas, to access registration services. Apparently, decentralization of the birth registration system is crucial to ensure that the obstacles hindering many children not be registered due to long distance shall be cured. That, decentralized system that collects and keeps births records that can be accessed at District Level instead of the district be issuing the certificates. Not only that; reliable mechanism to be put in place in efforts of ensuring accuracy prevention of forgery.
Birth registration in sub offices and free registration are not the only problems facing the registration of birth in Tanzania. The proposed amendments of laws and Acts govern birth registration should also reflect other issues institutions capacity, uniformity, corruption, implementation, political will etc.
Advocacy for the Amendment of Birth Registration Act
1. Awareness rising on the laws governing birth registration this should be used as a tool to instigate public demand for decentralization of births registration.
2. Gathering of available information including statistics of common unregistered births, current problems of registration, difficulties in insuring birth are registered even in towns etc. This can be conducted through awareness raising meetings, discussions, information sharing sessions etc.
3. Stakeholders meetings to be conducted to establish a common goal for the identified amendments required and advocacy strategies to be deployed.
4. The amendments should cover all aspects of births registration including births which do not go through any health facility. (Information gathered to be used).
5. Preparation of the draft of the required amendments to be submitted to the responsible ministry.
Achievements of the National Workshop on Universal Birth Registration Advocacy
It is envisaged to remark that, the workshop was very successfully as it brings together the ideas of the relevant stakeholders of birth registration in Tanzania in to common understanding. This kind of workshop targeted key players who have power and authority in changing policy and guidelines govern birth registration system in Tanzania. Their concerns have provided a meaningfully collaboration in making together the issue of universal and free birth registration in to practice. The participants of the Workshop came to realize that: it is possible to provide free birth certificate to children; it is possible also to use health centre as sub-offices of birth registrar and lastly, it is possible to adopted mobile birth registration strategy from Tujikomboe Group. However, care and pre-requisite steps must be taken to ensure that before amendment is made: all other issues have to be earmarked and rectified accordingly.
INNOVATION
The best innovation Tujikomboe Group seems to capitalize was to Strengthen Media Advocacy Initiatives on Universal Birth Registration. Under this initiative; Radio Mwambao F.M with its office in the City of Tanga was used to launch program on the importance of birth certificate, the law of Inheritance and Will writing. Likewise; News Papers such as Majira, Uhuru and Mwananchi was used to air success story of Tujikomboe Group in roll forward mobile birth registration in Muheza District and in Kilosa District.
Not only that; a prominent personality such as Deputy Minister for Community Development Gender and Children was invited to the office to share project reports with her. During her visit; staffs of Tujikomboe Group managed to give short speech on success and challenges that Tujikomboe Group faces in executing its day to day activities. It’s envisaged to say that, these innovative strategies resulted in improved positive image of Tujikomboe Group to the public and therefore enhanced its program to sustain at all levels.
LESSONS LEANT
"That's a valuable lesson Tujikomboe Group will never forget" –Working with Journalists as representatives of Media Organs is one of the powerfully tool in increasing transparence, accountability and recognition of organization to the people. Tujikomboe Group through this project managed to work with Journalists: Mr. Benedict Kaguo(Majira News Paper) and Ms. Sophia Wakati(Uhuru News Paper) in putting to the media the success story on birth registration, will writing and in-school peer educations on HIV & AIDS. The stories of the works of Tujikomboe Group were publicized to the news papers and to the radio Mwambao F.M and its impact were tremendous. Currently, the number of people who visited Tujikomboe Group of Tanga has been increased from an average of 2 peoples per day to an average of 5 peoples per day. More than 90% of those people visited Tujikomboe Group office of Tanga requesting assistance on the issues of inheritances, will writing education and procedures of getting birth certificates for their children.
Now day, Tujikomboe Group is one of the well known organizations, respected by people because of its work, trusted by its community because of its transparence and admired by other organizations for assist children and families affected by HIV & AIDS. Working with media, enabled both local and International institutions deals with child protection and birth registration to learn the work of Tujikomboe Group on newspapers and therefore working with it to foster the process of partnership and advocacy strategies in reaching a universal birth registration in Tanzania.
CHILDRENS VOICE, LEADERSHIP AND PARTICIPATION
This is the story of David (not his real name). David is as young as 8 years lives in Semngano Village-Kilulu ward. He is in standard two. David managed to meet with Coordinator for Tujikomboe Group sub office of Tanga-Mrs. Chiku Athumani during Mobile Birth Registration Exercise conducted at his village. The conversation between David and Chiku was very interesting. He told the Coordinator that: “I stand beside this motorcycle of my father who is in queue of pay fees for my birth certificate; my parent told me that he has already drafted a Will”. When asked by Coordinator: What is the benefits of the two-that’s birth certificate and Will, he said: “I know that I will be asked to show birth certificate when I go to secondary school, but I fail to understand what important is the Will”. This answer made Coordinator for Tujikomboe Group to laugh widely.
David was one of the many children who benefited for birth certificate from Tujikomboe Group. On interview his father, he told us that: “It is real amazing that my son got birth certificate without going to the District Head Office: It is the first time to see District Birth and Death Registrar coming to the village to register births of our children, thanks Tujikomboe Group for this service”. This story gave us hope that we have done some thing good for children in Kilulu ward-Muheza District.
THE PROUD OF TUJIKOMBOE GROUP IN CHANGING THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Advocacy on Universal Birth Registration at the National level has been sustained
Advocacy on universal birth registration has been sustained at the local and nation levels. This is much promising and its currently our proud: The nature of advocacy on Universal Birth Registration focused on the following areas: (1) encourage free birth registration and its certifications; (2) equal access of birth registration services by all groups of peoples (3) strengthening mobile birth registration at the National level (4) Promoting the use of health facilities as sub-offices of District Birth and Death Registrar.
During the National Workshop on Universal Birth Registration: Advocate-Reginald Martin from Legal and Human Right Centre (LHRC) proposed a steps to follow as a road map to reach amendment of birth registration Acts. The ADVOCATE reminded us that: birth registration in sub offices (health facilities) and the issue of free registration are not the only problems facing the registration of birth in Tanzania and therefore, the proposed amendments should also reflect other issues such as institutions capacity, uniformity, corruption, implementation procedures and political will.
A step by step in preparation of the amendment of Birth Registration Act requires that: awareness rising on the laws governing birth registration should be done to instigate public demand for decentralization of births registration. Secondly, conduct survey to gathering information including statistics of common unregistered births. Thirdly, conduct stakeholders meetings so as to establish a common goal for the identified amendments required and advocacy strategies to be deployed. Ensure that; the amendments should cover all aspects of births registration including births which do not go through any health facility. Lastly; prepare a draft of the required amendments to be submitted to the responsible ministry.
Why are we proud?
i. Because we managed to sell our agendas of actions to other stakeholders who joined our efforts, they speak the way we speak and therefore we sing the same song: they have been sensitized to the best level of seen the necessity of amending birth registration acts in order to accommodate the above identified changes.
ii. We are proud because, we managed to forge partnership with prominent figures in the relevant Ministries. The Deputy Minister for Community Development Gender and Children is the Minister in responsible of children affairs, and she can take the bill of amends the acts to the house of parliament to be discussed by members of parliaments.
iii. It is also because, mass education on the laws of inheritance and will writing has been reached a substantial level of encouraging. Community members have been made aware on this area. At the school level, teachers have been trained and started to take actions of writing the will. More important, radio sessions on inheritance laws and the need to write will have been aired to cover wide areas of Tanga region and its neighbor regions. Currently, a total of 200 teachers (male 112; female 88 male) were trained in five selected primary schools of Bombo, Ngamiani Kusini, Shaban Robert, Mnazi Mmoja and Sahare. After the training 3 out of 10 teachers take the will template designed by Tujikomboe Group so as they can fill it for future purpose as a legal will document.
Networking and Partnership
Tujikomboe Group managed to work with different organizations in executing its interventions. In October 2010, Tujikomboe Group was represented by its Founder and Organization Advisor-Mr. Shamsi Mhina who was assigned by SNV-Netherland Organization to undertake a consultant work of train staffs of Karatu Development Association (KDA) on Principles and Approaches applied in water , hygiene and Sanitation improvement and to prepare them as Trainers of Trainers(TOTs) and Community Facilitators on improved community access to clean and safe water and improved hygiene and sanitation practices. According to this assignment; the major topic to cover was that of Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS). CLTS is a participatory approach aiming at improving sanitation and hygiene practices in the communities. The process targets at inspiring and empowering communities to stop open defecation (OD), encourage them to build latrines and using them hygienically. The approach originates from Dr. Kamal Kar’s who was conducted evaluation of Water Aid in Bangladesh and their local partner organizations. CLTS concept is based on triggering among the communities until they reach a sense of DISGUST, SHAME and FEAR about open defecation. CLTS initiatives do not stress latrine construction per se, and avoid the use of hardware subsidies unless it’s for the poorest families. Instead, mobilization efforts focus on helping communities and individuals understand the health risks of open defecation and use disgust and shame as “triggers” to promote action, which ultimately lead to the construction and exclusive use of locally-built low-cost household latrines. The ultimate goal of CLTS is communities that achieve and maintain “open defecation-free” status and improved hygiene practices.
Under the hat of Tujikomboe Group, the Organization Advisor for Tujikomboe Group Mr. Shamsi Mhina was then contracted by Plan International to train Medical Officers, Midwives Nurses and Registered Nurses in Kisarawe District as District-TOTs on Home-Based Life Saving Skills (HBLSS). Home-based life saving skills (HBLSS), has been developed by the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) Department of Global Outreach (Buffington etal. 2004), is a community-based, family-centered program developed with the aim of reducing maternal and newborn deaths. Objectives of the HBLSS program include :( 1) decreasing delays in recognition and response to major complications,(2) increasing access to emergency maternal and neonatal care, and(3)encouraging timely, appropriate emergency referral where referral is possible. HBLSS tend to increases access to basic life-saving care with the home and community. Home-Based Life Saving Skills (HBLSS) represent a critical rethinking of conventional community-based approaches in several ways, such that: take into account the social context of childbirth, focusing on the pregnant women, her family caregivers and the home birth attendant as a team: addressing the challenges of responding to unpredictable life-threatening complications, this includes problems recognitions, first aid care, referral decision-making and knowing where to get help. HBLLS also enhanced family and community to negotiate safe, feasible, acceptable actions that will be take in the home setting when life-threatening complications occurs.
Tujikomboe Group is an active member of TaWaSa.Net (Tanzania Water and Sanitation Network), an umbrella organization that put together all Civil Societies Organizations that deals with water and sanitation issues. TaWaSa.Net was established in the year 2007, currently it has 35 members: Its Vision is: “A Tanzanian society in which all citizens have equal access to safe water and improved sanitation.”
Tujikomboe Group is also a member of White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood. The alliance which strives to put efforts of different partners in reducing maternal and child mortality in Tanzania.
Not only that; Tujikomboe Group has been work with HADO (Humanity Aid for Development Organization), a non-governmental organization working in Muheza District in child right issues. Through this collaboration, Tujikomboe Group was contracted to develop a training manual of child rights and facilitate the said training based on its experiences of promoting the right of child to be registered and acquire birth certificate. The training manual was used to train parents, local government officials and village leaders on child rights, child Act and child birth certificate.