25th July to 01st August, 2018, Mara, Tanzania
The Trust visited Mara Out-of -School project in Tanzania and met with different stakeholders including the Mara Project Team, Mara Alliance and government officials from the Regional, District and Municipal Commissioners and representatives from the Ministry of Education. Keys issues that emanated from these interactions included Sustainability of the Project which was appreciated by the stakeholders because it gave the children a chance to a brighter future and a functional Referral System that needs to be implemented to the existing model to provide Gender Based Violence, Psycho Social Support, Entrepreneurship, Child Protection and other relevant services which could benefit the Out- of -School Children.
It was also emphasized that more effort is being put on Quality Assurance to ensure that data collection and data collection tools are verified, to ensure this, the Trust will work with the Project team to conduct in-house workshop on data quality assurance, review existing data collection tools for the project, define the frequency of data collection and verification, and conduct data verification at selected project sites.
Through a consultation, the 26 Children we met from the two centers highly appreciated the educational opportunity that has been created for them and how well it accommodates their respective schedules. They asked to be introduced to recreational activities, provided with uniform and be given learning materials.
Learn more about our Mara out of school program here
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenâs rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Childrenâs Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsâ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trustâs goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a motherâs health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childâs life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.