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RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHDR #0139/01 0431007
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121007Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9411
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA 3188
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 0165
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI 1665
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 1637

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DAR ES SALAAM 000139 
 
SIPDIS 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E JTREADWELL 
STATE PASS TO USAID 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWMN PREL KPAO PHUM AID TZ
 
SUBJECT: TANZANIA: S/GWI PROJECT PROPOSAL 
 
REF: 09 STATE 132094 
 
¶1. SUMMARY:  Mission requests funding in the amount of USD 65,500 to 
support two projects.  Both projects seek to empower women 
economically while building their self confidence and understanding 
of their rights.  First, Post seeks USD 47,000 to support 
Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania's (CCBRT) 
Mabiniti Centre, which helps women recovering from fistula and 
mothers with disabled children develop business skills.  Second, 
Post requests USD 18,500 for the Morogoro Paralegal Center's (MPLC) 
efforts to increase awareness of women's inheritance rights and 
women's access to legal services.  Both organizations have strong 
leadership and proven records of fiscal responsibility.  The 
projects align with Mission goals and complement other activities. 
They are presented below in order of priority.  END SUMMARY 
 
Mabinti Centre: Empowering Vulnerable Women 
------------------------------------------- 
¶2. Organization's Background: Comprehensive Community Based 
Rehabilitation in Tanzania (CCBRT), founded in 1994, is a Tanzanian 
NGO which provides rehabilitation services and support for people 
with disabilities.  From its inception as a community based 
rehabilitation program in 1994, the organization has grown into a 
large comprehensive disability program including a disability 
hospital and international training program. Over 120,000 people 
with disabilities and their caregivers access its services each 
year.  CCBRT established the Mabinti Center in 2007 to assist with 
the social and economic reintegration of women who have suffered 
from fistula or who are mothers of children with disabilities.  The 
Mabinti Centre has three full time trainers, two contract workers 
for the production unit, three part-time consultant trainers and one 
coordinator.  CCBRT's Community Programs department, which operates 
in line with the WHO Community-based Rehabilitation Guidelines, 
oversees the Mabinti Center.  CCBRT has secured funding from various 
sources including major partners like the European Union (the third 
4-year project commenced this year) and the USG (PEPFAR).  This 
would be the first USG grant for the Mabinti Center. 
 
¶3. Problem:  Due to a lack of adequate medical care, an estimated 
3,600 women in Tanzania suffer the devastating effects of Vesico 
Vaginal Fistula (VVF or fistula) each year. Untreated, VVF can lead 
to chronic medical, social and psychological problems.  Women who 
have suffered from fistula often become isolated and depressed. 
Family support may be withdrawn and husbands frequently leave. 
Estranged from their families, these women have limited economic 
opportunities.  Although CCBRT provides medical treatment to women 
with VVF, medical rehabilitation is not sufficient to address the 
social and economic challenges these women face. Similarly, mothers 
of children with disabilities face social and economic challenges. 
Prejudice and negative attitudes about disabilities are common in 
Tanzania, and women are often blamed for the impairment of the 
child. 
 
¶4. Project Summary and Description: CCBRT established the Mabinti 
Centre to economically empower women recovering from fistula and 
mothers with disabled children.  The Center seeks to mitigate the 
effects of social and economic exclusion by teaching these women a 
trade and providing them with the entrepreneurial skills they need 
to become economically self-sufficient.  Through their participation 
in this program, women will not only develop tangible skills, but 
they will also cultivate a social support network to help them cope 
with the psychological effects of fistula or stigma associated with 
having a disabled child. 
 
¶5. The training program is broken into two main parts: one for women 
recovering from fistula and another for women with disabled 
children.  Over an 18 month period, 36 women recovering from fistula 
will be given daily instruction in sewing, screen printing, and 
beading.  In addition, the women will attend weekly English lessons 
and business seminars.  The training will also incorporate sessions 
on life skills, focusing on communication, decision-making, 
leadership, and health education.  Upon graduating from the program, 
the women will receive a business starter kit with a sewing machine, 
scissors, measuring tape and raw materials that will enable them to 
start their businesses.  Simultaneously, CCBRT proposes to offer 90 
mothers of disabled children a bi-weekly crochet course and supply 
them with a starter kit at the end of the two to four month course. 
 
 
¶6. Project Budget: We request funding of USD 47,100 from the Women's 
Issues Small Grant Initiative for this project,  to support costs 
associated with its training staff (USD 8,200); the training 
program, including transport, allowance, and lunch for trainees (USD 
9,800); materials, including fabric, string, beads, and paint (USD 
20,400); the starter kits (USD 4,400); and product development and 
marketing including a field visit, sewing machines, a printing 
table, and wood frames (USD 4,300).  CCBRT will supplement these 
costs with sales of Mabinti products (USD 40,500) and support from 
 
DAR ES SAL 00000139  002 OF 003 
 
 
other donors (USD 26,000), towards an estimated total project cost 
of USD 114,500. 
 
¶7. Sustainability and Reach: Following graduation, the Mabinti 
Center will organize monthly meetings so the women can share 
business ideas and continue to benefit from the peer support 
network.  Through these activities, the women will build their 
confidence and share their knowledge and skills with others. 
Moreover, the sale of Mabinti crafts will continue to support the 
center's operations. 
 
¶8. This project would complement other Mission programs, including 
policy advocacy through PEPFAR for improvements in women's health 
and access to quality medical care.  At the same time, it would fill 
a gap for the underserved sufferers of fistula. 
 
Improving Women's Inheritance Rights - MPLC 
------------------------------------------- 
¶8. Organization's Background: Established in 1993, the Women's Legal 
Aid Center, Morogoro Paralegal Center is a non-governmental 
organization that provides legal counseling and aid in Morogoro 
region through a network of 100 volunteers.  MPLC has established 28 
paralegal groups in three wards of the Morogoro region and has a 
legal aid clinic in Morogoro town.  MPLC's clinic helps 400 to 500 
persons annually with its services, which include counseling and 
mediation; document drafting; awareness-raising; and efforts to 
improve women's access to land.  With funding from Action Aid 
Denmark and the Foundation for Civil Society, MPLC conducted a 
campaign in two districts of Morogoro to raise awareness about land 
dispute resolution and joint land ownership. MPLC was awarded the 
Best NGO in Tanzania by the Foundation for Civil Society in 2008. 
 
¶9. Problem: Although according to Tanzanian law, widows have the 
right to inherit land, in rural areas, there is only limited 
awareness of these rights.  Communities often rely on traditional 
customs that do not allow a widow to inherit her husband's property. 
 As a result, widows often find themselves impoverished following 
the death of their husbands.  Based on MPLC's experience with rural 
communities in Morogoro, inheritance issues can be mitigated by 
explaining inheritance rights to community members, advising 
villagers about the importance of wills, and offering legal support 
to widows. 
 
¶10. Project Summary and Description: To address this issue, MPLC 
proposes to increase the awareness and knowledge of women's 
inheritance rights, improve women's access to legal aid, and 
encourage Tanzanians to draft wills in the Mvomero and Hembeti wards 
(13 villages) of the Morogoro region. 
 
MPLC's project has several elements.  To increase awareness, MPLC 
proposes to hold theatrical performances in eleven villages for an 
estimated 4,400 persons to educate them about inheritance rights. 
In addition, it will conduct focus group discussions on inheritance 
rights in two wards with 60 persons.  Finally, MPLC proposes to 
train 50 local government officials on inheritance law.  In an 
effort to improve legal access for women, MPLC will train 20 
volunteer paralegals on inheritance law, court procedures, and legal 
counseling.  In so doing, MPLC will expand its network of paralegals 
and increase its capacity to offer legal services to an additional 
100 women.  Finally, MPLC proposes to conduct train the trainer 
sessions in two wards for 60 persons on will writing.  Participants 
in each session will draft an action plan on inheritance for the 
villages.  MPLC will also produce a pamphlet on will writing and 
distribute more than 1,000 copies.  The project will last for seven 
months. 
 
¶11. Project Budget: MPLC is asking for USD 18,500 to support its 
activities.  These funds will be allocated as follows: USD 3,900 for 
the theatrical performances, including costumes, play preparation, 
and transport; USD 800 for focus group refreshments and facilitation 
fees; USD 4,600 to train local officials including hotel, transport, 
per diem and training materials; USD 2,100 to train volunteer 
paralegals including refreshments, training materials, venue, and 
facilitators' fees; USD 500 for supervision of paralegals in the 
field including lodging and transportation costs for supervisors; 
USD 1300 for legal aid and counseling activities including 
transportation for volunteers, furniture for the clinic, and 
stationary; and USD 2,600 for the will writing train the trainer 
session including venue fees, training materials, participants' and 
facilitators' hotel, transport, and per diem expenses.  An 
additional USD 700 and USD 300 will be used to cover the cost of 
drafting the pamphlet on will writing and following up on the train 
the trainer sessions respectively.  MPLC requests USD 1,700 for 
organizational and coordination expenses. 
 
¶12. Sustainability and Reach:  Through the network of volunteer 
paralegals, the MPLC will continue to raise awareness and offer 
support to widows who have been denied their inheritance.  Further, 
 
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in raising awareness of this issue, fewer widows will be left 
without a means of supporting themselves and their families. 
 
¶13. Given the critical role women play in agriculture in Tanzania, 
this project will be serve as an important complement to USAID's 
food security programming, which will focus on the Morogoro region, 
as well as USAID's efforts to increase access to credit for women. 
 
 
¶14. COMMENT: After posting a request for proposals (RFP) on our 
website and circulating the RFP to key Mission contacts, we received 
approximately 400 grant proposals targeting a variety of pressing 
women's issues in Tanzania.  NGOs from across the country outlined 
the need for projects aimed at reducing gender based violence, 
improving food security, addressing climate change, educating women 
about inheritance rights, providing legal services to women, 
establishing micro-credit facilities for women, developing women's 
entrepreneurial skills, and improving women's health.  There were 
many worthy projects among the submissions; we will encourage a 
number of groups to apply for funding through the Ambassador's 
Community Grants Program.  END COMMENT 
 
¶15. The grant will be managed by the Political and Economic Section. 
 Post wishes to thank S/GWI for considering these proposals. 
Additional information can be provided upon request. 
 
LENHARDT