67,000 +
Informal sector traders with increased awareness of GBV and human rights.
32,000 +
Market traders received legal education.
6,400
Women market traders received training on leadership skills.
7,500
Women traders gained knowledge on increasing earnings, managing savings and entrepreneurship skills.
2.5 m +
Social media followers.
8.4 m +
Tanzanians engaged.
Below are some of our success stories
Temeke Stereo Market
At Temeke Stereo market a local female trader was experiencing verbal violence from some of the male traders in the market. Upon learning about the abuses the women were experiencing, an EfG Legal Community Supporter provided assistance to the women in how to address the issue.
Working together the perpetrators were brought before the market committee where they faced large fines and were held accountable for their abuses against the female trader. After following up with the Legal Community Supporter, we have learned the woman is no longer experiencing verbal violence in her workplace.
Another incident occurred where a male trader sexually assaulted a female customer. Market traders had been receiving education on their rights and access to justice and therefore advised and encouraged the women to report the abuse to the market committee. Due to her account, market members worked together for three days until the perpetrator was successfully apprehended. The male abuser was fined and banned from conducting any business in the market. The committee also decided to dispense warnings to other male traders of the repercussions for committing acts of violence against women in order to prevent additional incidents from occurring.
Kigogo Fish Market
A group of women traders from the Ilala market had been displaced from their trading spaces. They were promised a new market three years ago but the construction process had been long delayed, forcing the women to conduct their businesses in the streets. They faced multiple challenges and negative impacts that limited their earnings and forced them to work under illegitimate, insecure, unsafe and poor working conditions. With the increasingly desperate need for the new market, we worked with the women traders to understand their economic and social rights and provided them with support. Our Voices for Visibility reached out to the women through education on legal rights including freedom of speech, property rights and the right to hold leaders accountable.
Subsequently, the women traders began to organize themselves into a mobilized group to begin to lobby for the regaining of their trading spaces. EFG continued to provide guidance and assistance as the women’s group lobbied Ward Executive Officers. Their efforts raised the attention to the issue and the new Kigogo Fresh market was successfully opened, with 86 stalls specifically set aside for women traders who were a part of the association. In advocating for the opening of the market, the association was also successful in ensuring the new market was equipped with proper infrastructure, sanitation, water supply and drainage to secure a safe working environment for all market traders. The association was also successful in influencing Ilala municipal officials to make the market easily accessible for customers to ensure their businesses will be profitable by lobbying them to place a bus stop in front of the market.
Women market trader’s diversified vegetable business to the training centre
The Women market association from the Kigogo Sambusa market was formed in April 2019, with a total of 12 members, but now the association has grown and increased in number to 32 members. The association has a capital of TZS. 6,000,000/- which has been collected through member contributions.
The association achieved huge success through weekly contributions, managing to start a project on tailoring businesses. Through the project, the association has managed to buy two sewing machines that cost TZS. 500,000/- as well as sewing materials; and has managed to rent a room for the project for TZS. 40,000/- per month. The project has also managed to employ a widow who is an expert in tailoring and cloth designing, who will be providing training to other unemployed women who aspire to become tailors for TZS.10,000/- per month.
Expansion of business after gaining skills in entrepreneurship and leadership in EfG
Magreth William Fungo is a retail seller of Irish potatoes, conducting her businesses at Ilomba market in Mbeya region. She is a secretary of saving and credit group known as Nyota group in Ilomba market which have received training on entrepreneurship and leadership skills from Equality for Growth and MIICO as a local partner. The training built the capacity of Magreth to confidently take part in market elections and succeeded to become a member of Ilomba market committee, at the same time performing her businesses effectively.
Magreth increased the amount of buying her shares from TZS. 2,000 to TZS.5,000/- per week in a saving and credit group which enabled her to accumulate a saving of TZS. 800,000/- from May 2019 to February 2020. The savings enabled Magreth to access a loan from FINCA Microfinance Ltd worth TZS,]. 2,000,000/- that enabled her to diversify the business to selling cereals like maize, sorghum, millet and beans which has increased her income.
Magreth says, “Selling Potatoes could only provide me with TZS 5,000/- per day, which was not enough to meet my family basic needs. Now I can earn up to TZS 25,000 per day and provide for my family at the same time increase my business capital that I could not afford before.”
Magreth is able to repay her loan from FINCA and has become a role model to many women traders in Mbeya, who are less motivated to take loans from financial institutions.