Many families continue to suffer from poverty_ Jembe FM mwanza Tanzania_ August 2016

Name of the story: Many families continue to suffer from poverty

Name of the media house: Jembe FM mwanza Tanzania

Country: Tanzania

Synopsis

Brief description of the item of work you submitted and motivation of why it is a good example of gender awareness and sensitivity in advancing gender equality Post-2015.

The aim of my work is to prove that when women are given a chance to employ themselves or work and earn some income, they aid in daily household needs, for example, buying food and clothing, paying of children’s school fees, electricity bills, house rent and medical needs. For example,Jamilah Mwenura,a tailor and a resident of Igoma Street, Mwanza, Tanzania, has been able to educate her three children without her husband’s aid.

The first-born has a diploma in education, the second is currently in Sokoine University and the last-born is currently in O level. Pendo Edwin, also known as Mama Phina, resident of Capri point, Mwanza, Tanzania,is a fish monger and a food cafe owner which is situated in Capri point, has been able to educate her children and also provide for her family.

She has three children, one in primary school, and the rest in Secondary school. She helps the husband with his responsibilities and thus making their family thrive well.

Many families, especially in the Lake region of Tanzania continue to suffer from poverty because it is believed only the husband is the bread winner of the family, according to them, a woman is supposed to stay home and take care of the family by cooking ,cleaning and taking care of the house n kids when the husband is away for work.

The cost of living has gone high, and if the husband is the only provider of the family, it becomes hard for the family to thrive. Khadija Japhet, a resident of Kirumba, Mwanza Tanzania used to own a salon and other small businesses was put out of track by her selfish husband who took her capital and misused it, she is now living in poverty and to make matters worse, her husband is a drunkard who is not supportive.

According to Yunis Nyanda, a women advisor from an organisation that deals with children and women, ‘Nguvu kazi’ in Mwanza, a lot of women face this problem.

Background

Why did you produce the story? What problem or context is it responding to?

I decided to produce this story because of seeing women are suffering in poverty with their children because of depending only their men while they can live in a standard life. Some of children failed to go to school especially in secondary level of education because of poverty.

Young ladies and boys are decide to leave the schools and going to work as a house girls boys while others decide to sell their bodies ,while others decide to engage in dangerous activities to their lives according to their ages like fishing so as to get the money to fulfil their needs .

This situation is not only affects women also affects children. Some of men fail to full fill the needs of their family because their incomes are insufficient to compare to expenses that needed at home.

Therefore, I decided to produce that story to show how women can help their men to maximize the income of the family and enable them to pay some bills like water bills also money for buying food and clothing, paying of children’s school fees, electricity bills, house rent and medical needs. Some families are happy because of cooperation between fathers and mother economically.

Key objectives

What did you hope to achieve with this coverage?

I was expecting to change the mind and beliefs, which has taken place in a society of Lake Zone regions especially men who do not believe that women can help them in their daily responsibilities at home. Apart from home responsibilities also women can help them to improve their own sources of income if a man may be own some business.

By using really examples of succeeded women I tried to encourage other women to engage in business and other economic activities instead of relying only men to fulfil their needs and also family while some of men are unpredictable.

Target audience

Who did you hope to reach? Did you succeed in reaching this audience? What evidence do you have to that effect?

My target audiences are youth with the age of marriage, men with families and women. I decided to target youth to educate them about the benefit of allowing woman to work. Also decided to target men with

Family because they are main reason to avoid economic developments to the women who need to work. So I tried to show them by really examples how they can benefit through their permissions to their wives on economic activities at a family stage.

Some of men now in the family are not in stress which caused by family responsibilities compared to the income because their wives are helping them in some cases like house rent and medical needs, buying food and clothing, paying of children’s school fees.

In addition, I tried to tell them how they affects their families because of prohibiting their wives to work. My third target was women who are the one who affected directly. Therefore, I tried to tell them that they could succeed if they decide to work or engage in any economical business like their fellow women in that story.

Therefore, through that story, I was expecting to see changes and I believe the message was sent and delivered.

How did you go about producing the programme?

How did you gather the data, how many sources, female and male did you consult? Why did you choose these sources and how were their voices important?

My first source were five women who affected with that situation of being prohibited to work, also some of their men who said they cannot allow their wives to work because they fear a destruction of their marriage means “woman can betray her marriage any time after being strong economically”.

Therefore, their voices were very important to show the reality of that situation. My Other source was other people and organisations that dealing with family matters like Kivulini and Nguvu kazi, which located in Mwanza Region in Tanzania. This was important to this story because they are fighting against sexual abuse of women and children so I used them to get the researches of how that problem is big.

My other source was internet to research and know about the information’s of other regions countries.

Feedback

Through sms, which sent to our reading sms machine after the program to be aired, we got some feedbacks where some of men agreed to allow their wives to work while others remained as at the beginning.

Through sms our listener Nyagolyo wa Nyagolyo told us he had a neighbour who was not ready to allow his wife to work at her own food cafe because she will betray her marriage through her customers for three years, but after listening the program he decided to remove his order and allow her wife to work.

After getting that message, I decided to go and realise by my eyes what I heard. I met with that neighbour of that Nyagolyo who was not ready to be recorded and he ensured me about what I heard from his neighbour that he decide to change his mind.

Another example is about a man called Frank Muganyizi a fisherman and a resident of Igombe street which located at Ilemelea District in Mwanza Tanzania,he was forcing his wife Clara Patrick to stay home ,but after listening the program he decided to fund his wife to initiate a small fish business centre. Now days a wife of Muganyizi became one of the important person in family income.

We I got that information after going there to search for a feedback after that programme being aired. Example number three was from Segerema Mwanza where one of our listener John Ngassa told us after calling a phone to the program that he decided to prohibit his wife to work because of advices from his friends.

They told him not to allow his wife to work because woman is supposed to stay home and not in work. The reason was their tribe was not give a woman a right to work.

Attach all relevant feedback documentation here:

SOME SMS FROM LISTENERS, WOMEN AND FAMILY ECONOMY HARITH JAHA TANZANIA 08 2015.docx

Follow up

How would you conduct a follow up to your story and why?

A first way that I am using to make a follow up is to use phone and sms through live radio program.

In our station, a listener is a part of our programmes, which we airs daily. So through discussion programme which containing them direct by using sms and phones ,listeners telling us what they see within their daily life about what we discussing and also some effects of that program in the society that they live. Therefore, they give us feedback of what we do and this helps us to know what to do in that society.

Example our listener Nyagoli wa Nyagoli a resident of Ghana street from Mwanza Tanzania told us about his neighbour who at the beginning was not ready to allow his wife to his wife to work at her food cafe but after listening the program and being conversed with the massage which is in that program through successful woman ,he decide to allow his wife to work in her food business.

Another way which I am using is to go physically to the society and talk to the people of that society about what happened after the programme.

This helps me to realize what is going on and what I supposed to do in next program. Also helps me to understand how I can do to make them familiar with what we need to change in that society.

Another way which I am using is to go to the organisations that dealings with women and children like Kivulini, Nguvu kazi and Wadada centre which located at Mwanza region to see how the program affects the society. This will help me to know easily because they are receiving different family cases from women so I can get a research of what I need from those organisations.