New Year contract renewal!!

Dear Friends!!

  After serious & cautious consideration ..

Your contract of friendship 
 Has been renewed for the new year 2011 !!  

 It was a very hard decision to make!!! 

So try to be friendlier and more caring next year.

Try to be available and more connected.

 I am giving you another chance so..

'cuz it's impossible to find a friend who is..

 96 % funy, 
 97 %  kind,

 98 % loving,  

 99 % talented

And

100 % sweet.

So don't lose me..

OK?!

Raymond.

New year greetings from Maisha blog!!!

Nyakyusa stories....

Wanyakyusa popote pale mlipo naomba data hapo..............

AKASÚMO KA ÍBOLE NU MÚNDU!!

Aaliko unnyambala jumo. Alyegíle unkííkulu. Bwila na bwila balyaga iseke. Bobaagíle bakateele ni iseke balyulíle untego. Unnyambala ategíle untego. Jaalikolíle imbogo. Po pampiki apa ategíle untego mmwanya lyalímo íbole. Po umúndu jula bo ikubuta inyama jila. Íbole lyatíle:" Gwe múndu ugwe, utwamúnda tosa múnyama ijo twangu. Umúndu bo ahinjíle inyama jila alyegíle ji nyama joosa lolí atulekíle utwamúnda. Kilabo kangi akolíle Ifubu. Pope íbole lyatíle: "Twangu utwamúnda." Ísíku lyabutatu lyope akolíle imbabala. Pope íbole lyatíle: "Twangu utwamúnda."
Po unkasí gwake alyandíle ukusulumania nu kundalusya undume ukuti: "Kutwala ji nyama ndupu. Utwamúnda tulikugu?" Undume alinkumwamula alinkuti: "Gwe nkasí gwangu. Apa ngutegela untego gwangu pampiki mmwanya lilimo íbole lyoili likuti: 'Twangu utwamúnda." Unkasí akanikaga. Po kilabo unkasí abukíle kuno! Kutega unnyambala untego. Bo ikwenda íkola mntego. Po alyandíle ukukúúta ingúúto po undume apilike. Alinkubopa ukwakuntatula. Po íbole mmwanya lyatíle: "Twangu utwamúnda." Unnyambala alinkulisuma íbole alinkuti: "Uju nkasí gwangu nsikumbuuta íkolíle kisíta kumanya. Íbole lyakaníle. Po alinkufíka mwangalamú. Unnyambala jula ampangila isi símwagíle. Jope alinkuti kyangu ikyima. Mwakindíngo atíle gwangu imifupa. Mwangwina ati gwangu untu. Kila kinyamana iki kyafíkíle pala kyalisalííle ifyake. Pammalikisyo alinkufíka Kalulu. Atíle bagwitu! Inyama iji nyafú fíjo. Po ubunúnú bwake tubuke tasí tukalye jila kula. Po iji twíse twisasulege ítolo.
Boosa balinkwitika nu kusokapo pamo pene nu múndu jula. Po bo bikwenda munjila Kalulu alyandiileko nu kumwabula unkííkulu jula. Nu kumbuula ukuti abopege mbimbibi ukubuka kukaja. Jope Kalulu alinkubabopela abaníne. Ukufíka kula inyama bakajagíle. Kalulu atíle po ulu tukajaga tubuke tukasasule jilajila. Batíle lilino ulu tubopege kila múndu akeegege akaake. Po íbole lyalilyakwanda, ukufíka ítolo pantego líkola. Ifínyamana ifíngí bo fífíkíle fílinkwanda ukwísalila inyama ja mwaíbole nu kulya. Po íbole ili lyalyaga utwamúnda balinkulilya ilyene.
Ukufuma pala pala íbole ilugu lya fínyamana kangi ilugu lya ntego mpaka numwísyu ugu. 

6 Reason why people commit suicide.

by Alex Lickerman, MD

Though I’ve never lost a friend or family member to suicide, I have lost a patient.

I have known a number of people left behind by the suicide of people close to them, however. Given how much losing my patient affected me, I’ve only been able to guess at the devastation these people have experienced. Pain mixed with guilt, anger, and regret makes for a bitter drink, the taste of which I’ve seen take many months or even years to wash out of some mouths.

The one question everyone has asked without exception, that they ache to have answered more than any other, is simply, why?

Why did their friend, child, parent, spouse, or sibling take their own life? Even when a note explaining the reasons is found, lingering questions usually remain: yes, they felt enough despair to want to die, but why did they feel that? A person’s suicide often takes the people it leaves behind by surprise (only accentuating survivor’s guilt for failing to see it coming).

People who’ve survived suicide attempts have reported wanting not so much to die as to stop living, a strange dichotomy but a valid one nevertheless. If some in-between state existed, some other alternative to death, I suspect many suicidal people would take it. For the sake of all those reading this who might have been left behind by someone’s suicide, I wanted to describe how I was trained to think about the reasons people kill themselves. They’re not as intuitive as most think.

In general, people try to kill themselves for six reasons:

1. They’re depressed. This is without question the most common reason people commit suicide. Severe depression is always accompanied by a pervasive sense of suffering as well as the belief that escape from it is hopeless. The pain of existence often becomes too much for severely depressed people to bear. The state of depression warps their thinking, allowing ideas like “Everyone would all be better off without me” to make rational sense. They shouldn’t be blamed for falling prey to such distorted thoughts any more than a heart patient should be blamed for experiencing chest pain: it’s simply the nature of their disease.

Because depression, as we all know, is almost always treatable, we should all seek to recognize its presence in our close friends and loved ones. Often people suffer with it silently, planning suicide without anyone ever knowing. Despite making both parties uncomfortable, inquiring directly about suicidal thoughts in my experience almost always yields an honest response. If you suspect someone might be depressed, don’t allow your tendency to deny the possibility of suicidal ideation prevent you from asking about it.

2. They’re psychotic. Malevolent inner voices often command self-destruction for unintelligible reasons. Psychosis is much harder to mask than depression — and arguably even more tragic. The worldwide incidence of schizophrenia is 1% and often strikes otherwise healthy, high-performing individuals, whose lives, though manageable with medication, never fulfill their original promise.

Schizophrenics are just as likely to talk freely about the voices commanding them to kill themselves as not, and also, in my experience, give honest answers about thoughts of suicide when asked directly. Psychosis, too, is treatable, and usually must be for a schizophrenic to be able to function at all. Untreated or poorly treated psychosis almost always requires hospital admission to a locked ward until the voices lose their commanding power.

3. They’re impulsive. Often related to drugs and alcohol, some people become maudlin and impulsively attempt to end their own lives. Once sobered and calmed, these people usually feel emphatically ashamed. The remorse is usually genuine, and whether or not they’ll ever attempt suicide again is unpredictable. They may try it again the very next time they become drunk or high, or never again in their lifetime. Hospital admission is therefore not usually indicated. Substance abuse and the underlying reasons for it are generally a greater concern in these people and should be addressed as aggressively as possible.

4. They’re crying out for help, and don’t know how else to get it. These people don’t usually want to die but do want to alert those around them that something is seriously wrong. They often don’t believe they will die, frequently choosing methods they don’t think can kill them in order to strike out at someone who’s hurt them—but are sometimes tragically misinformed. The prototypical example of this is a young teenage girl suffering genuine angst because of a relationship, either with a friend, boyfriend, or parent who swallows a bottle of Tylenol—not realizing that in high enough doses Tylenol causes irreversible liver damage.

I’ve watched more than one teenager die a horrible death in an ICU days after such an ingestion when remorse has already cured them of their desire to die and their true goal of alerting those close to them of their distress has been achieved.

5. They have a philosophical desire to die. The decision to commit suicide for some is based on a reasoned decision often motivated by the presence of a painful terminal illness from which little to no hope of reprieve exists. These people aren’t depressed, psychotic, maudlin, or crying out for help. They’re trying to take control of their destiny and alleviate their own suffering, which usually can only be done in death. They often look at their choice to commit suicide as a way to shorten a dying that will happen regardless. In my personal view, if such people are evaluated by a qualified professional who can reliably exclude the other possibilities for why suicide is desired, these people should be allowed to die at their own hands.

6. They’ve made a mistake. This is a recent, tragic phenomenon in which typically young people flirt with oxygen deprivation for the high it brings and simply go too far. The only defense against this, it seems to me, is education.

The wounds suicide leaves in the lives of those left behind by it are often deep and long lasting. The apparent senselessness of suicide often fuels the most significant pain survivors feel. Thinking we all deal better with tragedy when we understand its underpinnings, I’ve offered the preceding paragraphs in hopes that anyone reading this who’s been left behind by a suicide might be able to more easily find a way to move on, to relinquish their guilt and anger, and find closure. Despite the abrupt way you may have been left, those don’t have to be the only two emotions you’re doomed to feel about the one who left you.

If you have anyone in your community and family with those or some of mentioned features please take action and look for help before the impacts.

The proud of Tanzania!!!

 The map of Tanzania 

Mount Kilimanjaro the largest mountain in Africa found in Tanzania.

Merry Xmass everybody!!!!

Wadau wa blog ya maisha nawatakieni Christmass njema....

Noti mpya za Tanzania hizi hapa!!!

Wapendwa wana blog hizo ndyo noti mpya za shilingi mia tano,elfu moja,elfu mbili,elfu tano na elfu kumi na zitaanza kutumika rasmi mnamo tarehe 1januari.Noti hizo zitakuwa zikitumika sambamba na zile za zamani.Shime ndugu zangu natuziangalie alama muhimu kabla hazijaanza kutumika.

      (  Picha kwa hisani ya Michuzi blog)

Benki kuu ya Tanzania yatangaza note mpya leo.

Gavana wa benki kuu ya Tanzania leo mchana ametangaza rasmi note mpya za shilingi mia tano,elfu moja,elfu mbili,elfu tano na elfu kumi ambazo zitaanza kutumika mapema mwakani.Akitoa tamko hilo gavana amesema mabadiliko hayo yanaenda sambamba na ukuuaji wa technologia duniani na hivyo kupunguza ongezeko la fedha halamu.

Kwa maelezo zaidi na muonekano wa noti mpya ikiwa ni pamoja na alama za siri ingia hapa;

http://www.bot-tz.org/BankingOperations/Currency/NewBankNote/BoTNewBankNotes.pdf

Maisha na wasifu wa Dr Remy Ongala!!!

Dr Remy Ongala alikuwa mwanamziki wa mziki wa dansi nchini Tanzania aliyekuwa akiheshimika na kukubarika sana katika ulimwengu wa muziki ndani na nje ya nchi.Sina shaka wengi wetu wamgependa sana kufahamu historia na undani wa maisha ya mwanamziki huyu ambaye hivi sasa ni marehemu.hivyo basi nimeona si vibaya kama tutaisoma historia yake japo kwa ufupi.Gonga hapa;http://bongocelebrity.com/2007/10/20/drremmy-ongala/#axzz1884VpRsE

African Women’s Decade.

Grassroots approach to gender equality and women’s empowermen

The African Women’s Decade was launched

in Nairobi Kenya on October 15, 2010. The

overarching objective of AWD 2010-2020 was to

review and celebrate progress made towards

gender equality and women’s empowerment

and to articulate concrete actions that should

be taken to accelerate momentum in

implementation. The Decade provides an

opportunity for Africa’s global leadership for the

rejuvenation of women’s movements with a focus

on youth and grassroots women leaders; and to

maintain the drive for empowering African women,

as well as scaling up and ring fence funding for

gender equality and women’s empowerment

programmes in the context of the current financial

and economic crisis; finally the Decade aims to

mobilize actors for accelerated implementation of

the commitments to gender equality and women's

empowerment. The Decade will focus on ten

themes

1. Fighting poverty and

Promoting Economic

Empowerment and

Entrepreneurship:

 Attain decent work for women

and equal opportunity in

employment, promotion and movement

towards parity at the work place

 Create employment and services by

supporting Women entrepreneurs

particularly in informal sectors, including

Small, Medium Enterprise (SME), Medium

Enterprise (ME) and grow them to big

businesses

2. Agriculture and Food Security

 Achieving food security and fighting hunger.

 Increased women’s access to agricultural

land, farm inputs, credit, technology,

extension services, irrigation and water.

 Link women to markets through value

addition of their products including agrobased

supply chain and creating new markets

for their produce including organic food stuffs.

3. Health, Maternal Mortality and

HIV&AIDS

 Improve women’s health,

 Reduce maternal mortality

 Address HIV/AIDS including the

disproportionate burden on women and girls

through increased infections, spread and

increased workload, as well as unequal access

medical service including to ARVs and good

nutrition.

4. Education, Science and Technology

 Achieve parity in education at 2ary and

3ary levels and higher retention rates for

girls

 Increased literacy levels for women

through adult education

 Contribution of Women Scientists including

Information and Communication

Technology

5. Environment and Climate

Change

 Identify women’s roles in mitigating

climate change, making sure

they benefit from the new

global, regional and national

packages to fight climate change.

6. Peace and Security and

Violence Against Women

 Promote the implementation of

the international and regional

commitments on women, peace

and security including United Nations

Security Council Resolutions 1325, 1820,

1888 and 1889.

 Work with the African Union Peace and

Security Department, The Peace and Security

Council and the Panel of the Wise to

strengthen responses to violence against

women in conflict situations; and to promote a

stronger role for women in conflict resolutions

and peace processes.

7. Governance and Legal Protection

 Support the participation in political and

electoral processes at national and local

levels.

Brought by Elias Soka

                      

                                                

News Alert....Dr Remy Ongala katutoka!!!

Gwiji la mziki wa dansi Dr Remy Ongala amefariki usiku wa kumakia leo huko nyumbani kwake maeneo ya mbezi jijini Dar-es-salaam,habari hizi za kifo chake zimepokelewa kwa masikitiko makubwa na wapenda mziki na na pia watanzania wote kwa ujumla kwani enzi za uhai wake alikuwa akitumia taaluma yake ya muziki katika kueleimisha na  pia kuburudisha jamii.Hatuna budi kumshukuru mwenyezi Mungu kwa kila jambo kwani ndiye aliyetoa na sasa ametwaa jina lake na libarikiwe.AMen

Sikiliza moja ya vibao vyake enzi za uhai wake...hapa chini.

Tanzania - Remmy Ongala[R.I.P] - Kifo(Death has no mercy)

Tanzania mabingwa wapya tusker cup!!!!!!

 Kikosi cha Kilimanjaro stars kilichotwaa ubingwa wa tusker.

Kikosi cha wapinzani timu ya taifa ya Ivory cost.

Leo hii tarehe 12 december kulikuwa na mpambano mkali wa mchezo wa fainali kuwania kombe la tusker ambao ulizikutanisha timu za taifa toka Ivory cost na wenyeji Tanzania, mchezo huo ulikuwa wa vuta ni kuvute na wenye msisimko wa namna yake hasa ukizingatia kuwa uwanja ulijaa mashabiki waliokuwa na kiu ya mda mrefu ya mafanikio ya soka kwa timu yetu ya taifa.Hata hivyo vilio na maombi ya watanzania vilisika pale dakika ya 31 ambapo nahodha wa timu ya kilimanjaro stars Shadraki Nsajigwa  aliipatia bao la kuongoza timu yake kwa mkwaju wa penati ambayo ilitolewa baada ya mmoja wa mabeki wa timu ya Ivory cost kuunawa mpira katika eneo la hatari,goli hilo lilidumu na ndilo lililoleta shangwe kwa Tanzania na kupeleka majonzi kwa wapinzani wetu.Hivyo basi mashindano hayo yamemalizika huku timu ya Ivory cost kutwaa nafasi ya pili na majirani zetu Uganda nafasi ya tatu.

Mungu ibariki Tanzania na Africa kwa ujumla...............

SHEREHE ZA MIAKA 49 YA UHURU WA TANZANIA!!

 Rais wa jamhuri ya muungano wa Tanzania mh Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete akikagua Gwaride la heshima lililo andaliwa rasmi katika kusheherekea siku hii ya uhuru ndani ya uwanja wa taifa

 Gwaride la heshima likipita mbele ya mheshimiwa rais na wageni waalikwa pia watanzania waliohudhulia sherehe hizo za uhuru. 

 

Akina mama nao pia hawakuwa nyuma katika kuonyesha ukakamavu wao,hapo walikuwa wakitoa heshima zao mbele ya jukwaa kuu.

Hasira Hasara - Peter Msechu - New Bongo Music 2010

Kumradhi wana blog!!!

NIMEFANYA MABADILIKO KATIKA BLOG YETU YALIHUSISHA MABADILIKO YA ADRESS YETU TOKA YA ZAMANI ILIYOKUWA NI; raymondmkandawile.blogspot.com. NASASA NI mkandawilejr.blogspot.com, HII NI KATIKA KUBORESHA ZAIDI PAGE YETU.MABADILIKO HAYA HAYAJABADILISHA CHOCHOTE KATIKA MUONEKANO WALA HABARI ZILIZOPITA .NATANGULIZA SHUKRANI ZANGU KWENU WADAU NA PIA NAOMBA RADHI KWA USUMBUFU WOWOTE UTAKAOJITOKEZA SABABU YA MABADILIKO HAYA.

wenu blogger;Mkandawile Raymond

Hatimaye tuzo ya Tusker project Fame yaenda Uganda!!

 Hatimaye lile shindano la kumtafuta mshindi wa Tusker fame project limefikia tamati usiku wa kumakia leo pale jiji Nairobi nchini Kenya na msanii Davis toka nchini Uganda akitanagazwa kuwa mshindi.Matokeo hayo yametokana na uwingi wa kura alizopata na kumzidi mshindani wake wa karibu Peter Msechu kutoka Tanzania aliyeambulia nafasi ya pili.

Msanii Toka Tanzania Peter Msechu akiwajibika jukwaani katika fainali hizo.

POVERTY AND GENDER IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES PART 2.

Section A – Key Actions for Accelerating the Implementation of the BPFA

Economy

It is imperative that urgent steps be taken to enhance the gender-analytic capacity of macroeconomists at all levels and in all institutions so as to redefine concepts, approaches and methodology that underpin the generation and collection of data. This includes the development of technical capacity and tools for further advancing the inclusion of women’s unpaid work into the systems of national accounts. There is a need to mainstream gender analysis into economics and involve gender experts in the formulation of macroeconomic policies, so that economic policies support women’s paid activities in the subsistence and the care economies. Gender-aware social security and pension systems should be developed and extended to all women. In order to improve women’s position in the labour market, national programmes creating opportunities for decent jobs and working conditions for women and men must be developed and implemented.

Poverty

Measures to mainstream gender concerns into poverty reduction strategies should include gender analysis of macroeconomic policies. This would expose differential impacts of poverty on women and men and identify constraints on poverty eradication. Gender equality principles must be incorporated into all budgeting to ensure equitable resource allocation. Processes in the development of poverty reduction plans should be consultative, gender-sensitive and inclusive. Indicators for monitoring the impact of poverty reduction programmes and measures and the MDG target on poverty should be engendered. In the area of globalization, there should be a programme of training for women.

Education and Training

To address gender imbalances in education and training, countries should institute and strengthen affirmative action measures including scholarships at all levels for female students; distance and non-formal education and literacy programmes for women; innovative and aggressive strategies to redress the under-representation of women and girls in the sciences, mathematics and technology-related disciplines and careers, including the promotion of science among children in general and young girls in particular. Women’s access to professional training should also be strengthened. In addition, the main financial partners of African education systems should show their firm commitment to the female population in their interventionist policies.

Health

In order to reach MDG 6 and ICPD targets on reducing maternal mortality and morbidity, Governments in collaboration with parliaments, NGOs and the private sector must provide accessible sexual and reproductive health care services and education for women and girls in accordance with the legislation in force in each country. Preventive interventions to curb the spread of malaria, cardiovascular diseases, cancer that affect women, as well as HIV/AIDs and TB particularly among women and girls, should be supported. Processes and programmes to achieve the MDG target of reducing child mortality should also be engendered.

Governance, power and decision-making

. All political/governance bodies must institutionalize policies that guarantee gender equality. The AU 50:50 gender parity principle must be replicated and implemented at all levels of national, subregional and regional governance, including through affirmative action and set timelines. Women’s access to elected positions (municipal and parliamentary) must be supported to reach these targets. Leadership training programmes for women, especially young women, should be developed and supported to enable them to exercise responsibilities at all levels. Considering the value of the independent women’s movement representing women’s voices in Africa, women’s organizations should be encouraged and supported. The Pan-African Women’s Organization should also be reorganized and revitalized.

Media

Given the importance of communication and the speed with which information and communication technology (ICT) evolves, it is important that the region adopts and implements gender-aware media policies. There is also a need to: improve women’s access to media and new ICTs; support women’s press and communication initiatives; and, encourage the use of media and new ICTs to promote women’s activities, project positive images and fight against stereotypes and discrimination. In this regard, there is a need to stress the importance of the World Summit on the Information Society that will be held in November 2005 and we call upon the international community to actively participate in the work for this summit, with a view to reducing the current digital divide.

Human Rights of Women

A gender-sensitive and human rights-based approach should inform planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of PRSPs, MDGs, national priorities, annual plans and expenditure frameworks. Harmful and/or discriminatory practices that sustain gender inequality and inequity must be eliminated, and social, cultural, traditional and religious norms and values that sustain equality, equity and justice must be promoted. Partnership between women and men in addressing practices which have a negative impact on gender equality should be developed. The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women should be signed and ratified by all States in Africa, preferably by the end of 2005. Governments should domesticate and implement all the international and regional instruments on women’s rights and gender equality and equity which they have ratified, and to ensure their implementation.

Conflict Prevention, Peace Building and Reconstruction

. Measures that affirm the role and rights of women during the negotiation, transition and reconstruction phases should be upheld and mechanisms for their implementation and monitoring should be strengthened at regional and international levels. The trauma of rejection of female refugees on account of the consequences of rape and other forms of gender based violence must be addressed. Support to women in political processes in countries emerging from conflict must be increased so they can influence conflict prevention, peace building and reconstruction. UNSC Resolution 1325 and the AU Protocol on Women’s Rights must be fully implemented. Advocacy and punitive action against impunity must be stepped up. The principle of denying to warlords and perpetrators of violence against women and girls, positions of leadership in post conflict reconstruction should be adopted as an international norm. Governments must put in place functional mechanisms and intervention programmes for the protection of women and girls in refugee and IDP camps against violence and all forms of sexual abuse. Humanitarian interventions must pay attention to the health needs, especially reproductive and sexual health, of women and girls in conflict, refugee, and IDP situations.

Environment

African governments should adopt gender-responsive policies, programmes, strategies and measures on environment. Women should play a prominent role in the design and implementation of policies and programmes on water, energy, sanitation, land and forestry conservation and management, as well as in rural and urban planning. Rural women and their concerns must be integrated into the planning and management of eco-systems, eco-tourism and biodiversity. The achievement of MDG 7 with respect to ensuring environmental sustainability must be engendered.

The girl-child

Specific efforts must be made to protect the girl-child against discrimination, ill-health, malnutrition, stereotyping, violence, including genital mutilation, early and forced marriage and exploitation through domestic work and trafficking. Successful strategies for improving girls’ access to and retention in education should be scaled-up. The content and culture of schooling should be free from bias, discrimination and violence against girls. These would require curriculum reform, gender training for teachers and others working in education, as well as for boys and girls, together with continuous advocacy with parents, traditional and religious leaders, parliamentarians and other stakeholders. Access to professional and technical education for girls should be facilitated and there should be gender-focussed programmes for boys and girls. Furthermore, the main financial partners should reflect greater commitment to women and girls.

HIV/AIDS

There is an urgent need for government to address gender power relations in order to protect women and girls from all forms of violence and enable women to negotiate safe sex, through legislation, law enforcement, advocacy and sensitization. In particular, governments must establish, enforce and monitor strict legal frameworks to address the vulnerability of women and girls, and halt exploitation of orphans, especially girls. A fund should be established to ensure women’s access to post-exposure prophylaxes, anti-retroviral treatment, mother-to-child transmission prevention treatment (before and after delivery), as well as support for homecare services. Resources should also be invested in making sure that methods of prevention that are controlled by women are available and accessible. Governments should monitor the newly emerging types of violence and human rights abuses within the context of the HIV/AIDS. Priority should be given to making available and monitoring care-taking services for orphans, protecting their inheritance rights and providing counselling. Governments must establish gender indicators to monitor HIV/AIDS programme goals and outcomes, to measure progress and enforce accountability in the use of resources.

Partnerships with Men

Accelerating the implementation of the BPFA in the context of the MDGs requires that gender equality is no longer seen only as the women’s agenda. Men’s full commitment, accountability and partnership with women is crucial. Government decision-making institutional and organizational cultures must be transformed to embrace gender equality and women’s rights in behaviours, attitudes and norms, through gender sensitization, capacity-building and monitoring at all levels. Innovative rights-based and culture-sensitive focused programmes must be developed for the participation and active involvement of men and boys in the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment. Programmes that address families should be developed to integrate the culture of equality and human rights processes in all aspects of the socialization process, including the sharing of domestic work and childcare.

International Support

The support of the UN system to Africa to the implementation and monitoring of the BPFA and the MDGs is appreciated. Technical and financial support for training, capacity-building, research and documentation have been undertaken and should be strengthened in the coming years. The developed countries and international financial and trade institutions are called upon to strengthen the implementation of the commitments they have undertaken in UN conferences and summits, including Beijing and Beijing+5, to support African countries in their efforts to implement the agreed outcomes of these meetings. This should include the provision of official development assistance (ODA) at agreed levels, addressing comprehensively debt problems of African countries, ensuring access of African exports to world markets and the provision of technical assistance and capacity-building, in keeping with the spirit of partnership and mutual accountability.

Section B – Institutional Measures For Effective Gender Mainstreaming

An important ingredient for accelerating delivery of the BPFA is strengthening institutionalization of gender equality and equity through the provision of adequate resources, technical expertise and sufficient authority. The strategic objectives and actions defined in this section must be executed by all stakeholders, with national machineries and gender units providing oversight and facilitation of gender responsive delivery of development programmes.

Policy development and review

In Beijing, member States affirmed their political will to promote gender equality and equity by endorsing the Platform for Action. Governments should evaluate on a regular basis the extent to which political will is translated into concrete results, so as to identify and remedy the gaps in existing gender policies and implementation and support them with the allocation of the appropriate human and material resources. Governments must utilize gender expertise in designing all policies and programmes.

Responsibility and Accountability

Women/Gender Ministries and other line Ministries should agree upon a division of tasks for gender mainstreaming in their respective areas of responsibility and expertise. The core functions of gender officials need to be institutionalized in all ministries, so as to ensure that gender concerns are mainstreamed into all polices, programmes and activities. It is essential that accountability for the achievement of gender equality is the responsibility of the highest authority in all ministries, not only gender machineries and focal points.

Capacity-building

Governments should provide adequate human and financial resources to national structures dealing with gender issues. To ensure that more gender specific data become available, national statistical offices should be supported to strengthen gender data collection and dissemination. In addition, data users need to be trained in the analysis and utilization of these data for planning, monitoring and evaluation. National capacity must also be built in the civil service, universities, and think-tanks to undertake gendered research and gender sensitive programmes.

Coordination.

The lack of effective coordination mechanisms within gender structures, and between these structures and all levels of other institutions, impedes gender mainstreaming. Therefore, institutions must develop effective coordination mechanisms with clear lines of communication, roles, responsibilities, accountability and levels of authority. Coordination frameworks must define specific terms for collaboration and partnership between the public sector, development partners and the private sector (including NGOs), for the effective coordination of gender mainstreaming at all levels.

Advocacy

In the first post-Beijing decade, civil society organizations featured highly in advocacy on gender equality and women’s human rights and empowerment. In the coming decade, governments and regional institutions must build on this and strengthen their advocacy, and develop partnership with civil society organizations, in conducting education and information campaigns aimed at mainstreaming gender concerns. This advocacy work should be linked to policies and to programmes so as to enhance collective responsibility for mainstreaming and accountability.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The Committee for Women and Development (CWD) will have the responsibility for monitoring implementation of these renewed commitments. Instruments of accountability of the NEPAD Peer Review Mechanism, the AU Commission, the regional economic commissions, as well as national planning, budgeting and implementation processes should be engendered and strengthened to assess the adequacy of inputs, level of results and remaining challenges to achieving gender equality and equity in all sectors. It will be necessary to integrate the issue of gender into the mechanisms of APRM and other areas of evaluation. The MDG annual reporting process should integrate a review of the implementation of the BPFA. Furthermore, the African Gender and Development Index (AGDI), currently being piloted, could provide a framework for priority-setting, tracking progress and accountability, and upon completion could be adopted for use by member States. The AU should be encouraged to convene a meeting of Ministers for Women’s Affairs to agree on monitoring priorities for tracking delivery against the commitments of the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa, adopted in 2004.

Source United states of America Tanzania Embasy Report; Special thanks to Mr Elias Soka from Zoom College in Tanzania.