Commemoration of International Women’s Day Mishamo Settlement – 10th March 2012

Teachers being introduced to the community.

Head of Field Unit giving a word of wisdom to teachers.

 Guest of honor addressing the audience

 Women footballers listening carefully advise from Team captain before

commencement of the match.

 Group of Comedians from Mishamo primary school on stage

 Ipwaga versus Mazwe in actual action

 Children matching from UNHCR office to the football stadium

 Anti SGBV committee displaying poster

 The gathering watching a drama

 Mishamo Village leaders and teachers

 Busongola choir singing song on IWD theme

 Anti SGBV group performing

 Women representative delivering a speech.

 Refreshment time

Refreshment time

Mishamo settlement community marked International Women’s Day (IWD) on
Saturday 10th March 2012. The event is always celebrated on 8th March of every year but women of Mishamo found it of importance to observe the day on 10th March so as not to interfere with school curricula because teachers, primary and 

secondary school children were as well scheduled to participate. Women of  

Mishamo joined hands to ensure that the event become successful.

Various activities aiming at ensuring that all people of Mishamo settlement are
aware of what is happening in the world of women and civilization were initiated. On 8th March 2012, women visited and donated some non food items to patients 

admitted at the dispensary and clinics. In the evening, a football match between 

women and secondary school girls was played. Secondary school girls won by 1-0 

goal. Another match played on the same day was between men whereby that ended  with a 

 2-2 draw. 

On the culmination day i.e. 10th March 2012, a total of 15 

groups of women activists, school children, traditional dances, gospel choirs, 

poems etc performed. All messages were created around the theme of the year 

“CONNECTING GIRLS, INSPIRING FUTURES” and promoted areas of their priority 

specifically ‘education to children’.

A schedule of activities was designed and shared with UNHCR for participation
and possible assistance. Due to budgetary constraints, the organizing committee 

was counselled of the need for the community to fully take the lead and avoid 

unnecessary expenses. It was put open that the day is devoted to women and 

men, girls and boys of different background to reflect on their past, present and 

look forward to ensure that both women and men have equal opportunities in the 

society.

After a series of meetings and consultations, women became confident that they 

can on their own make the event a success. Awareness raising campaign sessions 

in all 16 villages of Mishamo were organized. Though the meetings were planned 

to inform and involve all people on the importance of connecting girls and 

inspiring their future, the forum was also used to introduce and familiarize new staff 

who joined Mishamo Field Unit, Arsen Mbanzendole, Field Associate and 

Candida Muhanika, Head of Field Unit.

It is through such meetings that parents highlighted their priorities and their desire 

to take active role in ensuring that their children particularly girls are educated at 

any cost. To quench their thirst, they created messages around the theme and 

most significantly invited the District Education Officer, Mrs. Naomi Nnko as the 

guest of honor on the climax day. Mrs. Nnko was accompanied by the District 

Social Welfare Officer and local journalists both from Mpanda and Sumbawanga 

Districts.

The village meetings inspired people and jointly decided to make own
contributions for refreshments where community members from 16 villages of

Mishamo contributed about 700,000/= for refreshment. UNHCR Field Office 

Mishamo was also able to secure some funds (200,000Tshs) from programme unit 

to support women’s initiatives. Based on the theme, women noted the contribution 

of teachers in the sector of education thus decided to invite them freely as a 

token and recognition to their work and dedication to educating their children 

and also to show love to teachers. This was done strategically to retain teachers 

considering that most teachers deployed to Mishamo abandon their post due to 

the remoteness and living hardships in the area.

 

The speech delivered by women carried a strong message and highlighted areas
of their achievements and gaps since the establishment of the settlement. It was 

mentioned in the speech that initially women supported men in construction of 

temporally school shelters before UNHCR and TCRS built permanent schools.

Women are also involved in other communal and developmental activities such
as farming, petty business, environmental conservation, health, education etc
while playing another major role of caring for their families.

The speech also mentioned with great concern the trend of the primary school
final examination results and number of children selected to join secondary
education that do not reflect the reality on ground. Taking an example of the
secondary school, there are only four (04) qualified and government employed
teachers while the community on their own initiatives give some kind of incentives  

to five (05) volunteer teachers. The actual requirement of qualified teachers is 

eighteen (18). Women therefore requested the guest of honor to deploy other 

four qualified teachers while the community committed itself to support other two 

volunteer teachers.

Women reaffirmed their commitments to joined hands with the rest of the
community to provide labor and contribute their income in ensuring that
necessary resources such as volunteer teachers, desks etc are available. This year 

the community was able to donate 80 desks which can accommodate 160 pupils 

to the school thus women requested the guest of honor to allow enrollment of 

other 80 pupils among those who missed an opportunity to join secondary school 

while they qualified as per 2011 national examination results.

On the same occasion women organized “Harambee” in other words “voluntary
contribution” of which the community and invited guests contributed or pledged 

in cash or in-kind. Amount collected will be used to pay incentives to two (02) new 

volunteer teachers who will be identified to teach at the secondary school while 

20% of the total contribution collected will be directed to support five (05) needy 

girls at the school. A total in cash (Tshs. 291,700/=) and pledges (Tshs. 990,000/=) 

amounted to Tshs. 1,281,700/= which is enough to pay incentives to two 

teachers for a period of about six (06) months. Also the guest of honor promised to 

sponsor one most vulnerable child girl, so she requested the headmaster of 

Mishamo secondary school to identify and communicate her needs.

In delivering her speech, the guest of honor congratulated women for their
motivation and their role in the family and society as whole and noted their vital 

contribution in caring for their families, conserving environment, participation in 

development activities and called for an end to discrimination and violence 

against women and girls. She urged both women and men to observe 

contributions on community health fund; pregnant women to attend clinic and 

delivery at the health centre, she also argued parents to join hands in raising 

children and shaping their behaviors and encourage children to attend schooling.

She further thanked teachers for their contributions in educating children and
encouraged them to stay in their duty stations, work hard to make sure that most 

of standard seven pupils succeed to join secondary school and promised to

 consider Mishamo in allocating teachers both for primary and secondary school 

each year. She again promised to work together with women, teachers and the 

whole community in achieving the mentioned priority areas which as stated in 

women’s speech is to increase number of children enrolled in secondary school 

this year from 160 to 240 students and added that she will work with other higher 

officials to make sure that the registration of Mishamo secondary school is 

changed from four to six streams for each class in the near future.

Before attending the celebration, the guest of honor visited Mishamo secondary
school as part of her monitoring visits and noted some gaps that correlated with 

what women mentioned in their speech.

In concluding the event, Mrs. Candida Muhanika, the Head of Field Unit
commended the work of the women in Mishamo and encouraged them to
continue with the same spirit and momentum. She advised women to assess and 

evaluate their achievements of IWD during the celebration of African Day of the 

Child and World Refugee Day that will be observed in June 2012 and also do the 

same at the end of the year to allow planning and make new commitments for 

the year 2013.