Southern Highland Participatory Organization (SHIPO) is the initiator of a tree planting project at Ilembula ward based on Moringa species for ecological restoration, climate change mitigation and adaptation. In collaboration with Sustainable Environment and Habitats Resilience Group farmers (SEHR), and local communities in Wanging’ombe district organized and carried out an event geared on December 9th and 29th, 2023 whereby education and tree-planting was core activities for furnishing the event. More than 3,440 Moringa plants were successfully planted in the community farms. A special thanks to Igula village government who generously provided 6 acres of land for the plantation and being instrumental in making this project possible. Additionally, SHIPO’s involvement in the whole process of organizing, training facilitation, providing Moringa seedlings and labor force showcased their sincere commitment to environmental sustainability.
Multi-stakeholders Partnership Project in Climate Action, Njombe started in September 2023 by carrying out stakeholder engagement activities, raising awareness and participating in different climate, and environmental related programs. To enhance uptake of regenerative technologies to participant communities, pilots’ programs was to be co-designed, and managed as commons. Regenerative garden is among the pilots which was co-designed and now managed as commons by participant communities, other people come to work, learn, and replicate the same to the areas. The plot contain four segments; animals segment (rabbits & chickens), agro-forestry, kitchen garden, and composting segment (for production of compost manure). Congratulation to participant communities who work, get some token in exchange of effort and time they spend (to be refunded during harvest time), and all who have considered to replicate the technology.
We always say “karibu sana ujifunze namna ya kutekeleza kilimo rejelevu katika eneo dogo 20m*30m ili kujiwekea uhakika wa chakula salama, kutunza mazingira and kujiongezea kipato”.
Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS) in Njombe is providing seedlings of different tree species for free so we could not miss the opportunity of taking some and gathering the neighbours to protect a water catchment that for the last years is under pressure: maize plantations within the area, construction of houses, a new fuel station built upstream, pines…
Equipped with hoes and boots, street neighbours, Lumena group members (Environmental group from Melinze street) and staff working at SHIPO office headed early morning to the catchment area. The area is quite broad: we started in the swamp and then continued planting along the households of SHIPO street. 2.5 hours of getting muddy hands, some sweat and connecting with colleagues and neighbours while doing something meaningful.
It might sound too typical: we need trees to act against climate change. But in fact, that is it: we need trees. We need them to capture carbon, to protect the water sources, to maintain biodiversity, to provide food for so many species, to maintain the local (micro) climate, to provide shadow…in fact, to regenerate the Earth.
But we are aware that exercises like today´s are not enough. We need cooperation and agreements among community members to manage commons like this water source. This catchment belongs to two different wards: one of the sides is part of Mjimwema ward, while the other belongs to Njombe Mjini. Today´s exercise only involved neighbours on one side. Apparently, talking to the other side about protecting the area brings some tensions: they are different leaders, the land owners do not live in the area…”changamoto” (challenge). That is why we need Multi-stakeholder Partnerships. Tuendelee! #ClimateActionNjombe
Mwembetogwa B primary school is one of the schools built by SHIPO in cooperation with the community members of Makambako town ship around 2006 and handed over to the community. In 2007 the school was officially opened starting with pupils who were split from Mwembetogwa making this one to be Mwembetogwa B. Following the good infrastructures built, pupils have been performing better to make so many pupils be selected to join with secondary schools around Njombe Region and through out the country. However since SHIPO handed over the school to the community it has still been maintaining friendship through visitation.
In one of the visits SHIPO managed to learn that there is rapid increase of the number of pupils in the school, but the drop holes are not enough for the increasing number of pupils and even those available are of no good quality, there fore this made SHIPO find a need to support these pupils with building drop holes in cooperation with the community members.
During visits we realized some other things that are going well and some that might need to be considered for rehabilitation and the general school information as shown here bellow;
Head teachers name: Frowin o. Haule
School registration number: EM. 15709
Examination number: PS
Total number of pupils 589 (Male 270 and 319 Female)
The school has 11 teachers (2 Males and 9 Females)
2.0 Good things observed;
All standard IV,V,VI and VII master 3R.
The school have 9 classes to accommodate the available number of pupils.
Pupils get lunch while at school contributed by parents as follows;
40 liters of maize to every pupil per year.
14 liters of beans for every pupil per year.
10 liters of rice for every pupil per year and
20,000/= every parent. This helps to buy salt, cooking oil, paying the cooker and the school watchman.
They have a borehole as a source of water for uses at school
The school have 2 blocks of drop holes, 1 for boys pupils and 1 for girls pupils, each block has 8 drop holes good for pupils use, and more over each block have 1 drop hole for the disabled pupils.
Lunch is provided at school through parents contributions (parents contribute maize, beans, rice, salt and cooking oil.
3.0. Challenges observed;
The school have 2 blocks of drop holes, 1 for boys pupils and 1 for girls pupils, each block has 16 drop holes to make a total of 32 drop holes in the school but they are not good for pupils use, and do not consider disabled pupils though they are not there in the school.
They do not have school library for reference books.
They do not have kitchen with dining hall where they can cook and eat.
No special room for girls pupils.
Books are also a challenge to meet pupils ratio.
4.0. Way forward
SHIPO as one of the stakeholders in education and child protection, in cooperation with the community members of Makambako have so far started the processes of contraction of toilet at Mwembetogwa B. primary school as one of its contribution to the community in valuing education and child protection.
5.0 Some photos taken at the site
Figure 1&2: Contraction materials bricks and sand collected
Figure 3: The level of pit latrine dug up
6.0. Conclusion
Activities for collection of sand, bricks, gravels, stones and building the pit are still going on by SHIPO masons and the community members of Makambako town ship as beneficiaries of the project.
Southern Highland Participatory Organization (SHIPO) is a non-governmental organization based in Njombe Region. The organization works in three Districts which are Njombe, Wanging’ombe and Ludewa, SHIPO also works in partnership with other organizations in and outside Njombe Region in providing services to the community. SHIPO involves it self 100% to help the government in solving different challenges as part of its responsibility to the community, however SHIPO supports local communities in rural and urban in their efforts to improve their standards and alleviate poverty.
Some projects that SHIPO implements include building infrastructures like; class rooms, teachers houses, kitchen with dining halls, blocks of drop holes for pupils and teachers, building health centers, contraction of gravity water systems and bore holes and other simple technologies, provision of education on health, hygiene and sanitation, getting safe water, rain water harvest and retaining water into the ground.
SHIPO also has a long track of records implementing projects in the education and health sectors. HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, gender and good governance are cross cutting issues taken up in all projects.
More than that SHIPO works to struggle against global environmental issues-climate change where as on 16th December 2022, SHIPO with the community of Ilembula, started the process of establishing Moringa tree nursery at Ilembula village in Ilembula ward -Wanging’ombe District. The activity started with the initiation meeting where by a team of organized farmers who were ready and willing to cooperate with SHIPO in implementing the project were identified. Immediately after the identification of organized farmers, training on nursery preparation was done, this was accompanied by planting of seeds in nursery. On 20th January 2023, the project was introduced to the government authority where by the District representative sent on behalf of the district Executive Director, ward officers, village leaders and members of the group identified during the initiation meeting attended the project introductory meeting at Ilembula ward hall. On 31st January 2023, there was a conduction of training on planting and management of the moringa tree, but also good governance training was done for the purpose of making proper supervision of the project implementation. On 13th Feb. 2023 a surprise visit was done just to see the progress of the project.
1.2. Objectives of the visit
To see how people are motivated with the project by observing their participation in planting seedlings in farms.
To validate the supervision processes during distribution of seedlings to group members and leaders.
To validate the number of seedlings planted and geographically to know the fields planted with seedlings so as to simplify monitoring activities.
2.0. Achievements
People were found planting seedlings at their farms with a very high motivation.
People are collecting seedlings from the nursery to their farms ready for planting, is also a sign of motivation of people to the project.
4144 seedlings were already distributed to community members by 14 Jan 2023.
2.1. Challenges
Moringa tree is very much interested by animals like cows and goats some thing that was seen threatening its existence in farms.
2.2. Way forward
They went back referring to what was agreed in the training meeting, that if somebody’s cattle will be found eating moringa the owner will be responsible according to set out rules during the training and the owners of farms have fence their farms so as to maintain the safety of moringa trees.
Picture 1: Moringa tree seedlings are packed ready to be taken to the farm for planting, the packing goes hand in hand with registration of the name and number of seedlings taken.
Picture 2&3: Group member at their group farm planting moringa tree collectively & Monitoring of the planted seedlings by SHIPO staffs and community members representatives is going on.
4.0. Conclusion
The planting of moringa tree is still going on at Ilembula ward. The Ilembula village authority and Ilembula village environmental committee having realized the necessity of moringa tree and the initiatives of the group members towards planting moringa tree, have decided to provide them with an area to plant moringa tree which will be owned by the group it self.
Boresha Elimu Mbozi, the project implemented by SHIPO in collaboration with Mbozi District Council under the support of Pestalozzi Children’s Foundation (PCF) keeps moving forward. The main activities conducted from January to April 2021 are the following:
Two days refresher training to child protection committees, conducted at village level in 19 villages
The reason behind this activity/output is to improve parents engagement in education process of the children.
SHIPO in collaboration with Gender Desk, Welfare Officers and Community Development officers from Mbozi District, conducted a 2 days refresher training to child protection committees in each village within the project coverage (19 villages). The main purpose of the training were to remind the committees members about their responsibilities and raising and reporting the child abuse cases. This activity reached directly 412 (Males 259 Females 153) child protection committee’s members at village level.
SHIPO together with local government authorities (LGAs) from Mbozi District conducted a refresher awareness creation meeting on child rights among parents and the community members in each of the 20 schools’ villages in five wards.
The output of this was to improve parents engagement in education process of the children. The topics discussed in the meetings were: childs rights, how to keep children safe in their surrounding environment, how to raise child in good manner and safe one, how to engage on their childrens education so as to raise their performance. This activity reached 2,500 (1,500 male, and 1,000 female) parents/community members. The methods which were used during the creation of awareness are public address system, questions and answers and group discussion.
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