Tanzania: labour, fraught with danger

The sociocultural, economic and policy contexts in Tanzania have made fishers vulnerable to environmental, social and work-related problems

The social dimensions of marine protected areas: a case study of the Mafia Island Marine Park in Tanzania

As threats to the marine environment continue to remain high, and conventional resource-management techniques have been found wanting, marine protected areas (MPAs) are being seen as a tool to address the abuse and destruction of the environment. This study discusses the social dimensions of MPAs in Tanzania, using the case of the Mafia Island Marine Park and the socioeconomic, political and cultural contexts within which Mafia people live their lives. (54 pp.

Gender and Power in the Use and Management of Coastal Space and Resources in Saadani Village, Tanzania

"Mwanamke Shughuli" A recent approach to understanding local uses of the environment proposes to look at the environment as "a context through which cultural constructions of both environment and gender are created and recreated" (Leach 1992 :76). This paper examines the various ways in which women in particular participate in the construction and reconstruction of the coastal environment, influenced by individual understandings of power. Through these understandings, women modify local disc..

Gender and Power in the Use and Management of Coastal Space and Resources in Saadani Village, Tanzania

"Mwanamke Shughuli" A recent approach to understanding local uses of the environment proposes to look at the environment as "a context through which cultural constructions of both environment and gender are created and recreated" (Leach 1992 :76). This paper examines the various ways in which women in particular participate in the construction and reconstruction of the coastal environment, influenced by individual understandings of power. Through these understandings, women modify local disc..

Delivering at Home or in a Health Facility? Health-Seeking Behaviour of Women and the Role of Traditional birth attendants in Tanzania.

Traditional birth attendants retain an important role in reproductive and maternal health in Tanzania. The Tanzanian Government promotes TBAs in order to provide maternal and neonatal health counselling and initiating timely referral, however, their role officially does not include delivery attendance. Yet, experience illustrates that most TBAs still often handle complicated deliveries. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to describe (1) women's health-seeking behaviour and experiences regarding their use of antenatal (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC); (2) their rationale behind the choice of place and delivery; and to learn (3) about the use of traditional practices and resources applied by traditional birth attendants (TBAs) and how they can be linked to the bio-medical health system. Qualitative and quantitative interviews were conducted with over 270 individuals in Masasi District, Mtwara Region and Ilala Municipality, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The results from the urban site show that significant achievements have been made in terms of promoting pregnancy- and delivery-related services through skilled health workers. Pregnant women have a high level of awareness and clearly prefer to deliver at a health facility. The scenario is different in the rural site (Masasi District), where an adequately trained health workforce and well-equipped health facilities are not yet a reality, resulting in home deliveries with the assistance of either a TBA or a relative. Instead of focusing on the traditional sector, it is argued that more attention should be paid towards (1) improving access to as well as strengthening the health system to guarantee delivery by skilled health personnel; and (2) bridging the gaps between communities and the formal health sector through community-based counselling and health education, which is provided by well-trained and supervised village health workers who inform villagers about promotive and preventive health services, including maternal and neonatal health

The power of meaning : people and the utilization and management of coastal resources in Saadani village, Tanzania

Bibliography: leaves 250-268.This study examines the natural resource utilisation and management patterns of people in the coastal village of Saadani in Tanzania, in light of the individuals' social and economic power. The study was conducted between August 1997 and March1999. It focuses on people's access to and control of natural resources both within and beyond the household. It was prompted by the need to examine how pressures arising from external factors such as shifts in macro-economic orientation and environmental management policies which initiated new utilisation practices have impinged on coastal people's livelihoods and on their ways of using natural resources. At the same time, internal dynamics of the local society have created new interpretations on claims to and use of those resources. Applying contemporary understandings on power, the study explores the different ways in which individuals as social actors, construct their lives in ways that empower them and employ strategies to achieve goals that they define within their particular historical and social contexts to overcome the limitations that are generated by these various processes. Gender is also recognised as an important analytical category because it makes it possible to engage in the diversities in local power that go beyond the state versus local opposition

Feminism, women’s agency, and subjective well-being: women’s experiences of village community banks in Tanzania

This study addresses some limitations in the understanding of the relationship between micro-credit facilities and women's empowerment, particularly when seen in terms of micro-credit's capacity to reduce the vulnerabilities of resource-poor households and to encourage women's engagement in providing for themselves with basic needs. Although such empowerment, seen through its material implications, may be limited in confronting macro-structural processes within which exclusion and exploitation are firmly rooted, many studies put less emphasis on how it may stimulate women’s selfappreciation and agency. Using a qualitative analysis of Village Community Banks (VICOBA) in Tanzania, this article shows how women experience ownership of the processes related to VICOBA as a resource for agency, and how, through such ownership, they claim empowerment as individuals; and interpret their actions within VICOBA as expressive of their subjective well-being. Keywords: micro-credit, well-being, women’s agenc

Adaptive capacity of small pelagic fishing communities in coastal Tanga (Tanzania) to changes in climate-related phenomena

Studies examining the vulnerability, resilience and adaptation options of fisheries-dependent coastal communities have noted a decrease in viable options to respond effectively to the impacts of climate change. The extent of vulnerability is experienced in terms of varying capacity to respond to ecological changes through resource use practices. We analyzed the experiences of three coastal communities dependent on small pelagic fisheries in Tanga region, Tanzania, and their responses to the changing availability of fisheries resources. The study illustrates how conditions associated with upwelling, while not readily obvious to fishers, match some of their fishing strategies, with implications for fisheries-dependent livelihoods. Yet, the fishers’ perceptions are key determinants of the response options they adopt. Limited access to scientific knowledge also constrains the effectiveness of their response options. Our findings have important implications for the manner in which local and scientific knowledge systems can be integrated, particularly with regards to enhancing the adaptive capacities of coastal fishing communities through knowledge sharing

Increasing the contribution of artisanal and small-scale mining to poverty reduction in Tanzania: based on an analysis of mining livelihoods in Misungwi and Geita Districts, Mwanza Region

This report outlines findings from an empirical study examining the contribution of ASM to poverty reduction in Tanzania based on an analysis of gold and diamond mining in Mwanza Region