Tuwasiliane Project
The word “Tuwasiliane” is derived from a Swahili word meaning “Let’s communicate”, or to be more precise, exchange information, news, ideas etc with other people.
And Tuwasiliane has now become the name of the newly inaugurated six- month pilot project to be run by the African Medical and Research foundation (AMREF) with effect from March, 2005, with funding from the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD)
The whole idea of devising here such a project (otherwise known in other developing countries of the world as Online Knowledge Network- OKN) was hatched by Tjalling Vonk, Coordinator of SWOPnet, way back in 2004 who, upon discovery that the potentialities of the average Tanzanians (and Africans in general) are not fully used, agreed to collaborate with AMREF.
The project will focus on the communities their traditions, beliefs and practices. it will identify community froups that have valuable locl content, document the knowledge and share it with otner people.
10 organizations in Mwanza region have received the grants of Tsh 3,300,000 each for the purpose of impelementing the project. Those organizations are Tanzania Home Economics Association, Tanzania Society of Agriculture Extension and Education, Green hope, Radio SAUT, Mwanza Press Club, Crop Marketing Bureau and Sengerema Telecentre.
Others are Union of Tanzania Press Clubs, Nyanza Folklore Institute, Victoria Environmental and Fishery Association.Eating orange–fleshed potatoes may boost health of HIV – Positives
By Staff writer
Orange – fleshed potatoes cultivation is becoming more and more popular in Mwanza region following a campaign conducted by the Home Economics Association (TAHEA) over the last few years here.
The campaigner, Asia Kapande who is TAHEA’s Coordinator in the Lake Zone, has confirmed that the orange –fleshed potatoes are two faceted: they have medicinal properties and are highly nutritional, particularly for pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers and infants who are all prone to illnesses caused by Vitamin A deficiency.
She was presenting a paper “Vitamin A for Africa – VITAA partnership” to a SWOPnet Forum under Tuwasiliane Project, organised by the SWOPnet Mwanza Chapter here recently.
Asia Kapande, TAHEA Coordinator for Mwanza Region presenting her paper on Orange fleshed potatoes
Kapande mentioned Misungwi, Sengerema, Ukerewe and Mwanza districts as places whise majority of women were currently being involved in the cultivation of the said brand of potatoes both for food and commercial purposes.
The TAHEA Coordiantor who is tirelessly campaigning for the cultivation of the seasonal tuber crop told the over 30 participants drawn from Mwanza – based NGOs, CBOs and the Media that Tanzania lagged behind the rest of East African countries in this regard for Kenya is now producing juice and powder from orange –fleshed potatoes industrially .
She also cited an example of a Kenyan housewife whom she did not disclose who had been able to pay for her husband’s University College fees with money accruing from her potatoe sales.
She hinted that recent research findings, in fact, have shown that the Vitamin A rich orange –fleshed potatoes can improve health of people suffering from AIDS, a fatal disease marked by severe loss of resistance to infection. “This is more ideal for HIV – positives who are now compelled to take some pills to prolong their life spans.
According to Kapande who is both an agronomist and nutritionist also elaborated that about 100 grams of the food staff is quite enough to provide the user with a lot of vitamin A for 24 hours. Normally the Vitamin is being stored in the liver .
Tracing the entire history of the orange-fleshed potatoes cultivation campaign, Kapande said it all started in the mid 1990s when the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), International Care Research on Women (ICRW), Care International and International Potatoes centre formed a pilot project to find out whether or not the tuber crop on would appeal to African consumers.
“And lately, the crop has, indeed, spread to Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Ghana”, she stressed.
On TAHEA’s future plans, the Coordinator said her organization aims at sensitizing further the rural population as well as semi-urban residents to the production of the orange fleshed potatoes in the entire region, promotion of potato flour for infants use, stepping up production, processing, preservation and storage of the said crop and its products.
Earlier on, the SWOPnet Mwanza Chapter Chairperson, Abubakar Karsan gave the participants a full account of his organisations’ activities in the country. According to him, there are two chapters of SWOPnet, namely SWOPnet Mwanza chapter and SWOPnet Dar es Salaam chapter.
He elaborated that the Mwanza- based SWOPnet is being managed jointly by the Union of Tanzania Press Clubs (UTPC) and Mwanza Non- Governmental Organization Network (MNGON).
One of the forum's participant making a contribution on how to improve the production of the orange potatoes.
The SWOPnet Mwanza chapter’s activities, he said, included face to face and online discussion forums while the former was intended to bring together participants to discuss a given topic of interest and exchange/ share ideas, enabling participants to discuss issues and exchange their knowledge on a topic introduced by moderators through a website: www.mwanzacommunity.org
Karsan elaborated further that tentatively a total of three thematic forums on agriculture, health and environment would be organised by his organization under Tuwasiliane Project with the objective of raising awareness of the general public on local content and helping them in packaging it for effective utilization.Villagers to undergo training on sustainable environment
By Elias Mhegera
Luchelele villagers in Mwanza Region will undergo training in sustainable development environmental protection and advocacy against the spread of HIV/AIDS as a cross- cutting issue.
The Secretary General of Victoria Environmental and Fishery Development Association - VEFDA (T), Silas Ng'habi, said this on Saturday 12 at Luchelele Primary School in Nyamagana district when he was facilitating sensitization meeting with Luchelele villagers.
Silas said that, VEFDA (T) in implementing TUWASILIANE Project would l sensitize the villagers to undergo training in sustainable development and environmental protection through communication and exchanging information.
Briefing on the history of VEFDA (T) Silas said TUWASILIANE Project was a brainchild of the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) in collaboration with International Institute for communication and Development (IICD) based in the Netherlands to introduce the programme.
According to. Silas, the objective of the project was to implement an information exchange programme on environmental conservation management involving the riparian communities to create basis for mutual learning among the rural and semi urban households through empowerment of local means of communication.
He said that major discrepancy in the effort to protect environment was poor communication among the stakeholders. However, he insisted villagers can pay a positive role by giving enough facilities, knowledge and mobilization.
Dwelling on his previous experiences that he encountered in relation to a tree-planting project in the same village in 2002, he said it proved futile because people were not well mobilized.
Silas said villagers neglected all the planted trees which eventually dried up and subsequently were burnt as a result of bush fires, common scenario in many Tanzanian villages. ''Therefore, the main agenda now is to enhance communication for environmental and development Projects", he added .
Meanwhile the Advisory Committee member of VEFDA (T), . Adam Ndokeji urged for a positive involvement of the villagers saying environmental protection can only be successful if there are initiatives to incorporate their efforts from the grass roots.
Ndokeji said, VEFDA (T) has agreed to collaborate with AMREF in implementing TUWASILIANE ( a Swahili word, which means "let us communicate") project and added that communication could only be successful if information was disseminated in a simple, using a common language, to people of all countries.
In another development,VEFDA (T) donated a bicycle to the Luchelele village to facilitate mobility during facilitation, participation, training and provision of necessary implements.
Speaking to a group of representatives in the village, the facilitators emphasized on the need to conduct fishing activities sustainably by using legally allowed nets, to avoid use of poisons, and as well as to join themselves in credit societies which can promote fishing activities in the village.
VEFDA (T) promised to work closely with the villagers on planting and protection of trees, supporting small- scale fishing and other economic activities like handicrafts and cultural activities. It will also work closely with the villagers in advocacy against the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Ndokeji advised the villagers to take advantage of their neighbouring Institutions like St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) and using its buildings and other facilities like radio SAUT for the benefit of the entire community.
