August 6, 2025: In partnership with UN Women, TGNP conducted a successful seven-day backstopping activity for six wards in the Lindi and Mtwara regions. The sessions took place between 28 July and 5 August 2025, and brought together 26 participants (11 women and 15 men) to strengthen local capacity for gender-responsive budgeting (GRB).
The goal was to provide skills and knowledge to village committees and ward facilitators to enable them to create budgets that address the unique needs of women and marginalised groups. Specific objectives included encouraging the active participation of women, conducting a thorough needs assessment to identify gaps, and ensuring budgets were inclusive and gender-responsive.
A “Third Eye” for Gender Issues
The training provided a powerful platform for participants to share insights and experiences. Leaders from across the wards noted that the training had given them a “third eye” for gender issues.
As one leader shared, “In the past, discussions on these topics felt obligatory. Now, after gaining this knowledge, we feel a profound connection. When discussing projects, our first thought is how to effectively integrate gender issues.”
This new found perspective has led to a deeper understanding of community challenges, including:
- Gender-Based Violence: Participants highlighted that men can be victims of physical and economic abuse, which has led to a few male suicides in some areas. A culture of silence often prevents men from reporting these incidents.
- Economic Exploitation: A participant from Mtua ward described a specific form of economic exploitation where women co-farm with men and then leave before the harvest, taking their share of the income and leaving the men with less.
- Community Leadership: In Chuno ward, a women-led committee mobilised their community to build a fence around the school. Their success not only demonstrates the leadership capabilities of women but also earned them the trust of the Municipal Council, which later assigned them to supervise a larger government-funded project. The Ward Executive officer stated,
“The women contributed their time and resources, including bricks, while others donated bags of cement or a lorry of sand.”
Local Initiatives and Identified Gaps
Participants shared stories of local action that resulted in success. In Mandawa ward, leaders advocated for a portion of the revenue from forestry activities to provide food to a local school. This initiative resulted in the purchase of 750 kgs of maize, which significantly reduced student absenteeism and eased the financial burden on parents.
Despite these successes, the backstopping activity identified several key challenges including:
- Lack of Documentation: There’s a significant gap in systematic record-keeping, including a lack of disaggregated data, photographs, and success stories.
- Social Issues: Wards face serious challenges such as student dropouts and environmental pollution due to a lack of proper sanitation systems.
- Financial Resources: Some wards are struggling with a shortage of financial resources to fund priority projects, often relying on a single revenue source.
Recommendations for a Path Forward
Based on the feedback and findings, the following recommendations were made to ensure sustainable impact:
- Training and Documentation: Leaders should receive training on effective reporting and proper records management, including the collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated data.
- Prioritizing Gender: Upcoming “Opportunity and Obstacle to Development” (O&OD) meetings should explicitly address key priorities such as menstrual hygiene, maternal health, and girls’ education.
- Empowering Communities: The backstopping activities reinforced that empowering local leaders and communities to address their own challenges is key to achieving sustainable and impactful results.
