PROMOTION OF EDUCATION LINK ORGANIZATION (PELO)
PROJECT PROPOSAL
1.0PROJECT TITLE: Empower 139 child mothers economically in Tanzania
2.0INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Promotion of Education Link Organization (PELO) is an activist educational organization working in the area of policy advocay, capacity building and networking.The organization has been operational since 2000 with the objective of facilitating the process of achieving quality and access to education as a right of Tanzanian child and youth and social transformation with governanceperspective at all levels.
In January 18,2005 PELO started to implement the program known asT.O.A (Training On Appointment) that aimed to provide secondary education training to employed and skilled youths and adults who at the formal age did not receive secondary education but they are still in need of acquiring the secondary education.The training was conducted through remedial classes whereby in two to three years they could sit for Qualified Test (QT) and after passing the test they could sit for ordinary level secondary education examination in the next one to two years.The success is that since 2005 to 2010,out of 230 who joined the T.O.A Program 95 adults and youths achieved to complete secondary education.
However,as we were implementing the program we found that 75% of the youths aged between 17 to 25 years dropped secondary school education due to various reasons including school pregnancies,poverty,truancy and forced marriages.But also in 2007 we started to receive school dropout under 17 years from poor families asking to join the Program in order to complete their secondary education and we achieved to sponsor 10 school dropouts only from 2007 to 2010 due to lack of financial resources to support them.
The survey conducted by PELO in 2010 in eight districts regarding the progress of girls after dropping school due to pregnancies revealed that out of seven early mothers, four of them are no longer living at their homes.They either live with their grandmothers or staying in streets independently after being chased away by their parents.
Mwanza is among the regions whose a child girl has less opportunity to acquire secondary education.The indigenous in this region are cattle keepers known as “Sukuma” who traditionally regard a girl as an investment in the sense that they expect to get a great number of cows through payment of dowry.Traditionally Sukuma men regard woman as “a machine for producing children”whereby a woman who does not give birth after marriage is rejected by the family.This tradition facilitates forced marriages and early pregnancies.Before a girl completes primary school education,already parents have prepared a man to marry her unwillingly soon after completing primary school and if she dennies to be married she is punished by the parents.
Among the focus of the strategic planning process for the five year strategic plan of PELO (2013-2017) which started in 2010 and completed in 2012 was to support the girls who dropped secondary education due to pregnancies and the proposed districts include Ilemela,Bahi,Kibaha,Bagamoyo and Kisarawe.
3.0OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED RESULTS
3.1OVERALL OBJECTIVE
To mprove the lives of child mothers in Ilemela distrit.
3.2PROJECTIVE PURPOSE OR OUTCOME
To ensure the economical empowerment of 139 young girls who were suspended from schools after becoming pregnant.
3.3PROJECT RESULTS OR OUTPUTS
The outputs would be: training workshop on detergent and shampoo making; Self Help Groups; activity reports, field visits and; review meetings.
The results will be measured by assesing the achievements against the set indicators.Since this project is part of the implementation of five year strategic plan (2013-2017),its monitoring and evaluation would be guided by the review and control framework (see chapter six of the attached strategic plan)
4.0PROJECT ACTIVITIES
(i)Organizing a training workshop
Three days workshop will be organized whereby 139 participants would be trained on practical making of detergent and shampoo and equiping them with key business skills including marketing, customer care and financial literacy.Succesful women enterprenuers would be invited to the workshop to inspire the training participants and local professionals who are experts in banking, product design and small business development will be invited to provide an in-depth mentoring to the target group.
(ii)Launching the project
The project team will organize a launching event in Mwanza city.The invitees would include local government authority officials, representatives from financial institutions, civil society organizations and media.
(iii)Coordinating the Self Help Groups of child mothers
The established Self Help Groups of child mothers would be monitored and progress portfolio designed for tracking their performance.
(iv)Evaluating the project
The project team will organize annual evaluation meeting which will address the achievements and challenges of the project.
(v)Documenting good practices and innovations.
The good practices of Self Help Groups of the beneficieries would be featured on print publications, website of the organization and social media for donors and stakeholders to be aware of the progress of the project.
5.0BENEFICIERIES
The primary beneficieries are child mothers from poor families in Ilemela district who are vulnerable to sex work.
6.0IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS
6.1MAIN RESOURCES
6.1.1RESOURCE PERSONS
Three project staff members are available.These are Project coordinator, Project officer and a volunteer.One more volunteer will be hired to join the team.
6.1.2PROJECT FINANCING
The project will require the funding amounting to 29,434USD whereby
6,504 USDwill be a contribution from the implementing organisation and
22,930 USD is requested from the donors.
6.1.3TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
There is an agreement of the organization with Junior Achievement Tanzania and Teach A Man To Fish (UK) to be consulted for technical support.Junior Achievement Tanzania is a youth centered non profit organization focusing on equiping youths in schools with entrepreneurial skills.Teach A Man To Fish (UK) is an international network of individuals and organization engaged on enterprising education and PELO is a member.
6.2IMPLEMENTATION MODALITIES
The key project partner is Tanzania Business Creation Company.This is an entrepreneurial firm which has succesfully delivered many Tanzanians from income poverty through training them to make various marketable products including bar soap, detergent, shampoo, animal feeds, candles, wedding cakes and batik.The role of this partner will be to train the target group on detergent and shampoo making.
6.3TIMELINE
The project is ongoing.It is implemented in three phases.Phase one wasfor identification of the child mothers in Ilemela district which started in November to December 2012.Phase two will take two weeks for launching the project, training of the targeted individuals and forming the Self Help Groups.Monitoring the established Self Help Groups is an ongoing activity. Phase three will take one week forreviewing the project, the activity which will involve the project team and members of Executive Committee of PELO.
7.0SUSTAINABILITY
The project implementation plan has arranged for each active Self Help Group to be contributing 10,000 Tanzanian shillings (equivalent to 8 USD) every month for sustaining the project.The amont accumlated would enable the recruitment of Training of Trainers (on making many more products) from among child mothers.These resource persons would be availed as trainers on future expansion of the project into four remaining district thus Kibaha,Bahi,Bagamoyo and Kisarawe.This will save the cost which would be incurred on hiring the consulting firm for training.The Self Help Groups to be established are recognized in the strategic plan as the Clubs of Child Mothers (CoCM)[See chapter 6 on activities of objective 3]
8.0NEED AND RATIONALE OF PROJECT
Youths in poor contries who are jobless and idle are regarded by the society as a bomb which may explode any time.To boysit means that they are vulnerable to be engaged on crimes such as robbery and terrorism.To girls it means that they are vulnerable to be engaged on prostitutions, drug abuse and sex work.The individuals who are targeted by the project have lost hope of life since even their family members have rejected them.
By starting to generate their income it means that they will restore their lost peace of mind and acceptability to their family members particulary male parents who regard them as a shame to their families.The Local Government Authorities have accepted this project as an initiative which would intervene on the increasing number of jobless youths who are jobless who are threats to their communities.But also implementation of this project would contribute to the attainent of one of the strategic objectives of a five year strategic plan (2013-2017) attached with this project proposal.
9.0BUDGET BASED ON OUTCOMES,OUTPUTS AND ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY / OUTPUT / OUTCOME / LEAD PERSON / BUDGET(in USD)
Organizing training workshop / -Workshop report
-Self Help Groups / The targeted individuals are generating income to sustain their lives / Project officer / 22,714
Organizing event to launch a project / Media reports / The public is aware of a project / Project coordinator / 741
Coordinating Self Help Groups / -Field visits
-Updates on website
-Progress portfolio / Self Help Groups are active / Project officer / 1,235
Evaluating a project / Review meeting / Suggestions and corrective actions to improve the project / Project coordinator / 216
Documenting good practices and innovations / -Publications
-Photos and videos on website and social media / Stakeholders are aware of the impacts of project / Project officer / 1,852
Administrative and overhead costs (10%) / Expenditure / Project coordinator / 2,676
GROSS TOTAL / 29,434