The Good Fight
“Working with young people is prestigious because it means you change their lives…” asserts Ms Justa Mwaituka, the Founder and Executive Director of KIWOHEDE (Kiota Women’s Health and Development), a shelter and not-for-profit organisation based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania focussing on socioeconomic development, especially for vulnerable children, women and youth. For more than a decade, KIWOHEDE has proven itself to be a critical, on-the-ground partner to WeWorld, reaching on average between 750-1,000 young women and children every year with concrete opportunities to take control of their lives through quality education, health care and training. Recently, this long-standing partnership took on a new dimension with the implementation of “Pamoja Tudumishe Elimu (PTU)” a joint initiative between Education Above All’s Educate A Child programme and WeWorld in Tanzania and Kenya.
As one might expect, this courageous pillar in the community’s journey to making a difference in the lives of the most marginalised has been years in the making. Originally from the Mbeya Region of the country’s Southern Highlands, Justa, a mother of two and doting aunt who has raised more than 10 nieces and nephews out of sheer necessity, was put on the path of caring for and service to others, while she worked as a midwife/nurse in the labour ward of Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam. After eight years on the job, a life-altering experience occurred for Justa when she was selected to join a cohort of approximately 20 women from all over the world in a six-month study tour in India, the “Women’s Health & Development Course.”
Suddenly, Justa – a young professional with a father who had only reached Class 2, but understood the value of education – was overseas, learning from different women’s groups that engaged at all levels of society.
Reflecting on this turning point in her career, Justa says, “It was an incredibly good lesson for me, because these women worked extremely hard, using their little resources [to reach many other] women, especially in alleviating poverty, reducing gender-based violence and empowering women... When I came home… I wanted to start something to help young girls.”
However, on a personal level, the example set by a parent is quite telling. As Justa explains her reverence for education and its transformative power, she talks about how her father, a driver, who was charismatic, but not in a position to bequeath land or wealth to his daughters, ensured “education as [their] inheritance.” She even reveals that initially she was a bit hesitant about embarking at the Muhimbili Nursing School, yet with her father’s counsel and an accompanying trip to Dar es Salaam, Justa was able to proceed.
She says, “I remember my father for his wider vision towards education. I always say he is my role model… All this contributed to make me the person I am today who values education as a core institution in life. Education is the answer.”
So, in that light, upon returning to Tanzania, Justa started working with international NGOs, gaining further insight into the challenges faced by vulnerable women and children, such as trafficking, hazardous domestic work and even child prostitution. She took it upon herself to engage them at the point of entry, on the streets of Dar es Salaam.
There, Justa spoke directly with them about their situation and provided safe spaces and/or shelters to wash, eat and get medical attention, especially for those who were ill. After about a year, she resigned from her job at the hospital and put all her energy into this mission.
In the years that followed, Justa would formally establish the KIWOHEDE organisation, safe and secure shelters for young women to receive empowering vocational training in fields, such as shoe making, tailoring, weaving and computer literacy and to re-enrol dropouts into education. Moreover, KIWOHEDE provides health care, psychosocial support and fostering for those in need. In 2013, KIWOHEDE and WeWorld began working together to assess the key factors affecting children on the margins in Tanzania and to identify suitable interventions.
At present, Justa draws inspiration from the people her work has positively impacted, as well as the fact that her efforts have reached more than 156,000 children as KIWOHEDE and WeWorld are today active in 29 primary schools across Tanzania! Recognising this profound commitment to the right to education, EAA joined the partnership to enable the scaling and expansion of this essential work on the ground to retain many more children at-risk of dropping out, particularly in Dar es Salaam’s Kinondoni and Temeke Municipalities.
“Strong and successful partnerships are based on common intents and objectives. This is the foundation of the WeWorld partnership with EAA/EAC and KIWOHEDE. These three organisations, rooted on different continents, are willing to combine their resources and expertise to support the most vulnerable children in accessing quality and equitable education. The synergies created by EAC and KIWOHEDE at different levels constitute the pillars that sustain interventions in the field….” remarks Helenia Molinario, WeWorld Project Manager.
Clearly, when stakeholders, ranging from the grassroots to decision makers in government come together, children who have fallen through the cracks have an opportunity to realise their right to education and, by extension, their full potential.
For her part, still cognizant of the needs and aspirations of so many children, Justa when asked if she is satisfied with the progress made to date, bluntly says, “No… our goals are not yet fulfilled, but we continue. We will be there and this is the future… Don’t give up, all of us, let’s work together….”
