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Caritas

 

Leadership

Chairman: Rt. Rev. Beatus Kinyaiya, Bishop of Mbulu

Vice Chairman: Rt. Rev. Issac Amani, Bishop of Moshi

Executive Secretary: Mr. Laurenti Masui

Contacts

Address: Caritas Tanzania, TEC Kurasini, P.O. Box 2133, Dar es Salaam:

Phone: 022/2851075-9; 022/2850047-8

Fax: 022/2851133; 2850295; 2850427

Mobile: 0787443630

 

Who are we

 

Caritas Tanzania (CT) is a non-governmental, non-partisan and not for-profit making organization under the auspices of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC). It is a member organization of Caritas Internationalis Confederation in the region of Africa, AMECEA zone. Caritas Tanzania was established and registered under the Society’s Ordinance in 1971 to co-ordinate charitable as well as social development activities of the Dioceses in Tanzania; as such, it is the socio-economic wing of TEC. Currently, there are 34 Catholic Dioceses in Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.

 

Caritas Tanzania – as national office – plays the following major roles:

 

  • Facilitation. CT facilitates dialogue and exchange of experiences & ideas on matters related to development, disaster management and social welfare activities among the Dioceses. Caritas Tanzania also assists Dioceses in mobilizing resources for development, disaster management and social welfare;

 

  • Consultancy / advisory services. CT provides advisory support to dioceses in developing project proposals, in managing their programmes / projects in an outcome-oriented manner, and in recruitment of staff. Services include capacity building, backstopping, coaching and mentoring support.

 

  • Advocacy. CT carries out lobbying and advocacy work on critical development issues at national and international levels; and support dioceses to do the same within their area of jurisdiction.

 

Caritas Tanzania is governed by a Board of Directors, chaired by the Bishop Chairman, who is elected by TEC. The Board advises and supervises all services undertaken by Caritas Tanzania on behalf of TEC. The day-to-day management of CT is vested in the Executive Secretary, with assistance from the section coordinators, who together form CT Management team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caritas Tanzania has three (3) main sections namely: Development support; Emergency & Relief; and Gender & Development. A fourth section, the Sustainability Support section, falls directly under the responsibility of the executive secretary, and is concerned with initiatives of income generating nature for enhancing self reliance hence reduction of donor dependency.

 

Our Vision

Based on the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church, Caritas Tanzania envisions a society with love, justice and peace

 

Our Mission

Caritas Tanzania is committed to the promotion of pro-poor sustainable and equitable integral human development

 

Our Motto

‘Kila binadamu ni ndugu’

 

Our Core values

 

1. Dignity of the Person. The dignity of the human person is our foundation of moral values; Caritas Tanzania regards the poor not as objects of pity but subjects of their own development and agents of change.

 

2. Option for the Poor. Caritas Tanzania commits itself to analyze the underlying causes of poverty, combats social economic inequalities, which deprive people of decent and sustainable livelihood.

 

3. Solidarity and Mutuality. Caritas Tanzania adheres to Christian charity and the Catholic Social Teaching Principles of Solidarity, which involve not only finance, but also the accompaniment of the Church and Caritas activities with Dialogue, Advocacy, Peace-building and Reconciliation as well as advocating for Human Rights and Justice.

 

4. Reconciliation. Caritas Tanzania is committed to acknowledging cultural pluralism and to keep an open dialogue with all people of goodwill.

 

5. Partnership and Stewardship. Caritas Tanzania fosters relationships at national and diocesan levels, especially regarding the transfer of resources, based on mutual respect, trust and goodwill. Partnership implies a long-term commitment to agreed objectives, based on shared values, strategies and information. It is further characterized by feedback and joint planning, display of transparency and accountability by both sides and genuine openness and sensitivity to the other’s needs, feelings, expertise, experience and wisdom.

 

Our Guiding Principles

 

1. Caritas Tanzania is a social pastoral expression of the Church and will continue to make efforts to promote the social mission of the Church.

2. Caritas Tanzania listens to the voice of the silent poor, speaks on their behalf when it is necessary and above all enables them to speak for themselves.

3. Caritas Tanzania practices the principle of subsidiary, by respecting the local autonomy for activities implemented at Diocesan level while at the same time, wills all Caritas Diocesan Offices to work together effectively and harmoniously in the pursuit of our common mission.

4. Caritas Tanzania places emphasis, as a learning organization, on the sharing of experience and ideas and on transforming this learning into more effective action.

5. Relief and emergency work are provided in the context of integral human development concerns. This forms part of the promotion of the dignity of the human person.

6. Caritas Tanzania has close relations with Catholic and other Inter-faith and secular organization which share our own vision.

7. Caritas Tanzania always strengthens its capacity for effective delivery of services and programmes to, or on behalf of the poor.

8. CT witnesses faith not only in words but in deeds, the way we act in the country. This witnessing to the wider nation implies openness, transparency and visibility.

 

 

 

Development Support Section

 

Project Coordination & Support: AACES

 

Introduction

 

  • The Australia Africa Community Engagement Scheme (AACES) is a five-year programme (July 2011 – June 2016) implemented jointly by Caritas Tanzania, Caritas Australia and the Dioceses of Ifakara, Mahenge and Mbulu in the villages of Mkula, Mgolo and Endashangw’et, respectively. The programme is currently in its third year of implementation and has 3 objectives:

 

  • To support the marginalized communities to enhance their quality of life through improved food security and access to water, sanitation and hygiene services.

  • To better capture and communicate the process of community-led change in Africa, in order to influence policies of AusAid and other development stakeholders, and contribute to improved services for marginalized people.

  • To inform the Australian public about development issues in Africa.

 

Apart from water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH) and food security, the programme also takes on board environmental protection, gender, HIV and AIDS and inclusion of people with disability.

Annual presentation of AACES at national level

 

Achievements/Successes

 

  • The communities of Mkula, Mgolo and Endashangw’et villages in Ifakara, Mahenge and Mbulu, respectively, are aware of their strengths and assets, which are now being utilized to improve their quality of life with support from partners.

  • Awareness of the programme has been increased at various levels, following consultative and public meetings with key stakeholders particularly at community level. At community levels, community members – particularly the marginalised people – have been empowered by the programme to demand for social services from duty bearers.

  • Increased number of latrines and other sanitary facilities and the adoption of hygienic practices in Endashangwe’t village (Diocese of Mbulu) has significantly reduced the incidence of water-borne diseases. Note: The Diocese of Mbulu uses Mtumba pre-triggering animation techniques and skills to promote hygiene and sanitation among 150 Households (68 females and 82 males), plus 25 modal households representing 38 members (13 males and 25 females). The sensitization was conducted in all five sub-villages, making a total of 188 (93F/95M) direct beneficiaries of this training.

  • There is increased awareness on gender and its importance in sustainable development; as such, peoples’ participation in the programme has been enhanced. Communities in the three villages uphold the dignity of marginalised community members – including people living with disabilities, the elderly, people infected with HIV/AIDS and women, who now assume leadership positions in development committees as well as in the village governments.

  • The community of Endashangwe’t and Mgolo are increasingly constructing contours in their farms and in reserved areas for environmental protection as well for soil improvement for higher productivity.

  • In order to find a reliable power supply for the Endashangwe’t water supply scheme, Caritas Tanzania – in collaboration with the Diocese of Mbulu, approached the Ministry of Energy, in particular the Rural Energy Agency (REA) to advocate for extension of the national electricity grid to the village. Eventually, REA has agreed to fund electrification of the project with the Tanzania Electricity Supply Company (TANESCO); this will ensure sustainability of the project.

  • Farmers of Endashangwe’t and Mgolo were linked to Selian and Katrin Agricultural Research Institutes respectively; this has resulted in the establishment of demo plots for learning purposes, and selection of appropriate crops suitable to prevailing agro-climatic conditions.

  • The people of Australia have increased knowledge of Africa through progress reports and visits to the project sites.

 

Promotion of improved dairy goat farming & cooking stoves in Endashangwe’t Village

 

Challenges

 

  • The split of the Diocese of Mahenge by the Catholic Church and the change of one Diocese that was earmarked for the programme, considerably reduced the pace of implementing the first year of implementation (2011/2012).

 

  • Poor road infrastructures make Mgolo and Endashang’wet villages inaccessible in the rainy seasons and pose a challenge in implementing projects timely and for farmers to ‘export’ their produce.

 

  • Erratic rains caused by climate change makes agriculture, which is the major economic activity to the majority rural communities, very uncertain

 

  • Persistent drought at Endashangwe’t leaves the community without enough food, and activities which need their labour contribution e.g. excavation of trenches for water pipelines, are considerably affected.

 

Future plans

 

  • Completion of the water supply system for domestic use in the 3 villages of Mkula, Mgolo and Endashangwe’t

  • Improvement of Mkula Irrigation Scheme in the Diocese of Ifakara

  • Training and application of knowledge acquired on agriculture, WASH, HIV and AIDS, environmental protection and disability inclusion

  • Continue to hold consultative meetings with key stakeholders for strengthening our cooperation, networking and collaboration.

  • Document and share information with various stakeholders (at national and international levels) on the progress, achievements and challenges of AACES.

 

Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation: PME Unit

 

Introduction

The development arm of the Catholic Church in Tanzania – the Diocesan Caritas / Development offices – has been supporting community development initiatives for over 30 years, to address poverty & inequality and to promote good governance, peace and security. However, during the last 5 years, these offices have witnessed a decrease in the number and scope of development projects/s. This decrease is attributed to the dwindling levels of external funding; back donors are increasingly dissatisfied with the capability of Caritas offices to manage their projects in an evidence-based and outcome-oriented manner. It is for this reason that Caritas Tanzania decided to establish a Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation (PME) Unit, to capacitate Diocesan Caritas/Development offices in outcome-oriented project management (OOPM). The unit is coordinated by Mr. Paul Chilewa, with advisory support from Mr. Willem Koster.

 

In partnership with Misereor, a 3-year project was initiated to provide longer-term support to 9 Diocesan Caritas/Development offices; and incidental support to other Dioceses upon request. The selection of the 9 Caritas/Development offices was basically demand-driven, albeit with sufficient organizational capacity. The PME project took off in March 2012 with a facilitated self-appraisal exercise at each of the 9 selected Dioceses, to identify gaps in OOPM and to develop capacity building action plans to address them. The exercise also provided the baseline for the project, against which future achievements can be measured.

 

Major activities to date

 

  • Three 5-day training workshops were facilitated for all 9 Diocesan Caritas/Development offices, organized in 2 venues. The first 2 workshops focused on the priority capacity needs of the Dioceses and covered all stages of outcome-oriented M&E: purpose and scope of M&E; developing an informed objective hierarchy; setting assumptions and risks; developing an M&E plan; selecting needs to be monitored; determining baseline and milestones; planning for data collection, collation & analysis; data storage and quality assurance; critical reflection, communication and reporting; and necessary conditions and capacities for operationalization an outcome oriented M&E. The 3rd workshop was dedicated to steps in project design, proposal development progress reporting, activity-based budgeting and analysis of survey data using GrafStat.

  • The Diocese of Mbulu Development Department (DMDD) was supported to develop an M&E system handbook. The handbook was developed through a series of 2 workshops, during which all management and staff attended. Similar exercises will be facilitated with the other Dioceses in the near future.

 

  • Incidental support has been provided to CT, TEC and 11 Dioceses, ranging from proposal development, progress reporting, development of specific M&E tools, preparing a terms-of-reference for an evaluation exercise and strategic planning.

 

  • A resource centre has been established with relevant reference materials on OOPM.

 

  • A start has been made to document training experiences in comprehensive training manuals, for future use by Caritas Tanzania. A first raining manual on basics of outcome-oriented programme management is in its final draft form.

 

Future activities

 

The PME Unit is still relatively new and it is too early to see impact at Diocesan levels. In August-October 2013, a mid-term assessment will be facilitated at each supported Diocese, to assess changes in attitude & performance with respect to OOPM, outstanding challenges and ways forward. These assessments will be used as basis of further coaching and mentoring support, focussing on application of knowledge and skills in ongoing and new projects, rather than further trainings.

 

Gender and Development Section

 

Introduction

 

As its name implies, the Gender and Development (GAD) section focuses on gender in development – to ensure that gender is considered and mainstreamed at project as well as at organizational level. Apart from gender, the section also addresses cross-cutting issues related to other marginalized groups, such as the HIV and Aids affected households, vulnerable children (child protection), the disabled and the elderly.

 

The main role of the GAD section is to capacitate Diocesan Caritas offices, particularly the Diocesan GAD offices, to effectively mainstream gender, to lobby for- and promote inclusive sustainable development that upholds the rights of women and other marginalized groups. Capacity building is provided through training, establishment of networks for horizontal learning and sharing, technical project support and coaching.

 

The section is coordinated by two persons: a coordinator and an assistant coordinator. They closely work together with the Diocesan GAD offices, other stakeholders and funding agencies.

 

Major activities to date

 

The GAD section has close ties with Miseroer, who has funded projects and provided advisory support for more than 15 years. Currently, Misereor is funding a 3-year project, titled “Further Support to the National WID/GAD Programme, No. 142-900-1067 ZG)”, which runs from March 2013 – Feb 2016. The project has 4 objectives:

 

  1. The capacity of GAD coordinators and assistants in 34 Dioceses to effectively advocate for- and mainstream gender, with due consideration of human rights, is strengthened by the end of 2015.

  2. Information sharing & learning and solidarity among Dioceses, Zones, the national GAD section and other stakeholders, are enhanced through networking by the end of 2015.

  3. Commitment to gender equality at organizational (national and diocesan) level, is strengthened by the end of 2015.

  4. The project is managed effectively and efficiently.

 

The GAD section participates in the forum of the Interfaith Women Network. This forum is the basis for empowering women from different faith denominations to promote peace-building and to be involved in decision-making processes in all facets of development. The goal of the Interfaith Women Network is to strengthen the voice of women to enhance their meaningful participation in all national development processes. Empowering of the Interfaith Women Network is a very important instrument for enhancing democratic women participation in addressing poverty and other gender-based vulnerability.

 

Apart from the above, the section also participates in two others projects:

 

  • The TEC project on Violence against Children, which is funded by UNICEF. This project aims at sensitizing the interfaith religious leaders who are working closely with children. The fund granted for this project is for one year.

  • The AACES programme. The section provides advisory support to participating Dioceses on how to effectively mainstream gender within the programme.

 

Challenges

 

The GAD section faces the challenges of:

 

  • High turnover of staff of the Diocesan GAD offices (threatening the success of capacity building efforts made by the section).

 

  • Lack of projects of Diocesan GAD sections. Since some Dioceses have no gender projects, it has been difficult for them to employ someone for the gender desk. Others have resorted to volunteers.

 

Emergency & Relief Section

 

Introduction

 

The Emergency & Relief Section deals with humanitarian response to relief and emergency, i.e. the organization and management of responsibilities and resources for addressing natural and man-made disasters, in particular preparedness, response and initial recovery steps. In situations of emergency (disaster), Caritas Tanzania is committed to play a coordinating role in saving lives, reducing suffering and improving community livelihoods with minimum vulnerability to disasters. We collaborate closely with the Government, Diocesan Caritas / Development offices, national and international multilateral and non-governmental organizations on disaster issues. This requires sector-wide coordination and complementarity of actions. In the next five years (2012 – 2017) we intend to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Diocesan Caritas / Development offices’ response, by (a) contributing towards the development of clear and efficient coordination mechanisms, (b) promoting a better understanding of the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved (as per national Disaster Management Policy), and (c) strengthening the capacity of communities to prepare for- and respond to disasters, and to strengthen their resilience to future disasters.

 

Caritas Tanzania advocates an integrated approach to disaster management, combining preparedness, response and risk reduction. Over the next five years, we will seek to ensure that support in disaster management is seen as an integral part of development at Diocesan and community levels.

 

Besides disaster response, Caritas Tanzania also provides more individual relief support to vulnerable groups and persons based on the laid down procedures and standards by Caritas Tanzania. The support is made possible through contributions of various institutions and the Good Samaritan Fund (a percentage of which flows to Caritas Tanzania from the Diocesan Caritas / Development Offices). Under special operations response, the emergency section continues to collaborate with Caritas partners to further support local Integration of returnees, asylum seekers and refugees in particular.

 

Drought Recovery Programme

The drought recovery programme was a continuation of the response to emergency project following the long drought of the 2010/2011 in the Northern parts of Tanzania in Arusha and Manyara regions. With financial support from CAFOD, Caritas Tanzania, the Archdiocese of Arusha and Diocese of Mbulu provided humanitarian assistance in terms of food and non-food items for six months through “food for work” and thereafter, continued to support the same communities with recovery programmes aimed at increasing the resilience of the drought-affected communities in Karatu, Arusha and Monduli Districts.

 

From January, 2012 – June, 2013, Caritas Tanzania – in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Arusha and Diocese of Mbulu – implemented the following activities:

 

  • A baseline survey was conducted which established benchmarks for tracking project performance and progress;

  • A training on participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation (PHAST) ws carried out among communities targeted by water pump installations, shallow wells and boreholes;

  • Caritas Tanzania, Diocesan and village committees jointly conducted an in-depth Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (CVCA) in targeted villages;

  • A flood barrier was excavated and three tree nurseries were established.

  • The programme also focused at improving local structures for agricultural, such as land management through contour farming, construction of earth dams and other water conservation structures through “cash for work”. One water catchment (Dum Hill) was contoured. Each household managed to construct soil and water conservation structures of at least one acre (400 acres in total) with project support. In total, this component reached about 400 households in 4 villages of Kambi ya Faru, Qaru, Khusumay and Bassodawish.

 

Furthermore, the programme invested in improving the capacity of staff involved in the implementation of the programme through various trainings on cash transfer, child protection, EMMA, monitoring and evaluation, Mango and financial management.

 

Implementation commenced after Dioceses introduced planned activities to the Local Government Authority at district and village levels. This was done for the purpose of creating common understanding of project objectives, law enforcement and ensures full participation of each stakeholder during implementation. Caritas Tanzania, the Diocesan teams, village governments and selected village committees such as water and environment, worked together in implementing and monitoring project progress.

The programme has been valuable to beneficiaries by enabling them have access to food and improve their household income. Through cash transfers, they were able to improve their livelihood by being able to cater for costs of food, medication and school fees for their children.

 

Global Anti-Poverty Campaign: “One Human Family for a Future without Hunger: The Right to Adequate and Nutritious Food”

 

Caritas Tanzania, like other member organizations of Caritas Internationalis (CI), participates in the Global Anti-Poverty Campaign which envisions a future without hunger: One Human Family for a Future without Hunger. The Campaign will be launched jointly by CI and member organisations on 1stDecember, 2013 and will proceed up to 2015 (in line with MDGs).

 

Sustainability Support Section

 

Clearing & Forwarding Unit

 

Introduction

Caritas Tanzania provides clearing and forwarding services as business to its customers (mainly Dioceses and Religious institutions) through its Clearing and Forwarding Unit. While the unit falls under the direct supervision of the Executive Secretary, the day-to-day activities are undertaken by a team of 5 staff including In-charge/Team leader. The business of clearing and forwarding is authorized by Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), Department of Customs and Excise with Licence No. 11102 of 2013. Therefore, Caritas Tanzania acts as general/transit agents in East Africa subject to TRA conditions as stipulated in the licence.

 

 

Activities undertaken by the Unit

1. To clear and forward general goods from the ports to its customers within the country.

2. To operate the registered Bonded warehouse No. 510 located at TEC Kurasini Shimo la Udongo, along Nelson Mandela Road in Dar es Salaam. The warehouse is used to store general goods and vehicles cleared from the ports.

3. To transport the cleared goods as requested by the customers

4. To provide consultancy services to the customers on matters pertaining to clearing and forwarding services

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