Poverty Alleviation for Women in Tarakea, Tanzania - Essay Example

?Poverty Alleviation for Women in Tarakea, Tanzania Rationale for the Study Poverty is responsible for the occurrence of numerous deaths in Tarakea, Tanzania. Past Tanzanian governments have spoken extensively about the policies they intend to implement in order to overcome poverty, particularly in the rural areas with minimal success. Poverty alleviation approaches that examine the mobilisation and subsequent distribution of resources where the effects of poverty are the greatest are elemental to the effort to lessen poverty, as well as food insecurity. In that framework, researches on poverty alleviation efforts that can be used in distinct regions can combat hunger directly. In the divisions of rural as well as agricultural development, such research can make considerable and practical contributions to general the general development of a poverty stricken community. Literature Review In Tarakea, a community located in Tanzania in East Africa, more than a half of the population does not have the necessary skills to hold high paying jobs. In addition, there are cultural customs that have in the past served to worsen an already thorny situation. For instance, Women are not allowed to inherit livestock, land, or any family possessions once their parents or caregivers pass on. Traditional norms as well as beliefs are extremely strong in this culture. This leaves women at the mercy of men and dependent on them for all financial assistance. Women are not allowed the chance to express themselves or speak with authority in this culture. This has been said to be due to the low levels of education among community members as well as the theory of 'male' dominance, which is very obvious and socially embedded in Tararkea (Southern New Hampshire University & the Open University of Tanzania Master of Science in Community Economic Development, 2007). To advance the livelihood of this society, it is important for women, who make the majority of farmers and sustain their households, to be given priority because of their responsibilities in terms of agriculture and domestic duties. This, though, might take time to be accepted in this extremely conservative community. Growing poverty in Tarakea adversely affects the abilities of women to provide for their families. This is one of the main factors that hinder the progress of the community. To partly tackle this issue, the Tarakea Women Sawmill was created as a Cooperative Society that handles sawmilling tasks for a profit. In order to discover the major difficulties faced by TAWOSA, a community needs assessment (CNA) was carried out in October 2005 at the headquarters of the Tarakea Women Sawmill in Rombo District. Approximately 10 people took part in the interview and these were mainly TAWOSA’s women leaders (Ellis and Mdoe, 2003). In the course of the discussions, all the respondents were permitted to contribute openly by means of a semi-structured interview, which was directed by a well planned checklist. Individual observations were also employed as tools for the collection of information inside the TAWOSA compound. An assortment of reports also was utilised in collecting data about poverty rates in the community and the wider society. Where the reliability of this research is concerned, consistence was evident as identical results were acquired every time the questionnaire was distributed. The questions were reviewed in the course of formulation and when the researchers were amassing information. The research discovered that a considerable number of married women tended to remain at home because their husbands could not sustain costs for them to live in the towns where their husbands worked. This meant that the women were left dependent on their husbands for money. This arrangement has become very common in Tarakea and has in the past had unconstructive effects on the wellbeing of families because women are over burdened by farm work and also have to care for extended family members. The research also revealed that this region typically has 7.32 people in each household, even without including extended family members currently residing with nuclear families. This means that each woman gives birth to roughly 5 children. This establishes that while it has a lot of poverty stricken families, Rombo District still has such a high population growth rate (2.8) that its available resources are insufficient in catering for all the community members. The major causes of poverty include the lack of high level education among many community members, the lack of other sources of income apart from farming and livestock keeping, the lack of capital for the launching of small businesses, unreliable rains, and land scarcity. In a different research carried out on the causes of poverty in the Tanzanian countryside, it was established that the retrogressive culture played a big part in causing poverty. Qualitative research in 10 villages in the Tarakea area revealed a number of helpful insights about the institutional framework within which residents try to make viable livelihood strategies. Land rights for women as well as the ownership of livestock are an issue that has to be addressed. While the method in which the village land committee is warden responsible for land distribution and gives traditional rights to it by use may have functioned well in the past, this technique does not work when the land that is available becomes subdivided into so many small pieces that the commercial landowners have to intervene. The barring of women from inheritance rights and land ownership in most rural areas like Tarakea is an aspect of the customary approach that does not contribute to the reduction of poverty. In addition, the public also distrusts public officials who are sent by the government to deal with cases concerning the appropriation of land. Education, among Tarakea community members is highly regarded, but many of the educational institutions that exist in Tarakea do not have even the basic amenities necessary for teaching. This is not a characteristic that is limited to educational communities. The research also established that health clinics in Tarakea regularly charge TShs. 5,000 annually for membership but are usually unable to help sick citizens as they usually have no medicines stocked (The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, 2013). Agricultural extension officials are usually perceived as being problematic as none of the 10 sub villages that were researched had been visited by an extension representative in the inhabitants’ recent memory. Both of these studies established that the issue of the exclusion of women who are the main farmers in most African communities can be detrimental to any development initiatives. The various researches also established that the practice of corruption can contribute to the extensive incidence of poverty even among industrious communities. In order for poverty alleviation strategies to take hold, it is necessary for their propagators to invest in the education of entire communities so that they may understand the importance of preserving the strategies that are taught. The Research Proposal To effectively address concerns about the real causes of poverty, both qualitative and quantitative methods of research are necessary. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies will be united to examine poverty, to comprehend the key determinants of the incidence of poverty in Tarakea and to assess policy interventions. The quantitative approach facilitates the stringent testing of correlations, theories, and causal relations supported by the statistics from representative household reviews. They can be followed-up by qualitative techniques to appreciate the nuances of procedures that generate and replicate marginalisation as well as poverty. Qualitative approaches can be utilised to determine interdependencies and processes that are associated with non-quantifiable qualities of poverty like powerlessness and vulnerability. Qualitative approaches can also inform and contextualise quantitative investigations by examining causal theories on the ground. Qualitative approaches also include the poor in the investigation of their own living circumstances in ways that are hard to establish through structured questionnaires (Mwabu, 2004). Rationale Qualitative approaches aim to understand ‘what is taking place in a particular circumstance in order to enable the consequent use of quantitative techniques (Gomm, 2009). Quantitative approaches, on the other hand, can assist in discovering answers to a definite question regarding poverty. Even though qualitative information can also be used to complement the tasks of poverty measurement, it is not the main emphasis in this kind of poverty analysis (Bryman, 2008). Further even when such statistics are gathered, they are usually changed into numerical facts, amenable to numerical analysis which calls for proportional advantage in skill endowments as well as the categories of poverty (Mwabu, 2004). The research study will be carried out with thirty (30) participants from three different slum areas. People from the slum areas have been chosen to be the participants in this research because they are widely recognised as being among the most exposed members of society, and are usually the eligible recipients of the few if any government programmes created for the alleviation of poverty in rural areas. The data that will be gathered from the different participants also will also emphasise on the diverse vulnerabilities and struggles faced by the residents of each slum area. Rural governance and poverty reduction governmental as well as nongovernmental groups in Tanzania will greatly benefit from the findings of this research study as they will be able to know where to direct their efforts and resources in order to contain extreme poverty. The research will also seek to disclose why issues such as rural poverty, have so far been ignored during government policy and planning conventions. This report is different from other researches in that it gives a summation of 'participatory' approaches in Tarakea and Tanzania. This means that there is more connection and influence available for people with the experience of poverty. The report also seeks to establish why the expertise of people who have had a direct experience of poverty should be given the opportunity to contribute to poverty research. There will also be a discussion of the pitfalls and potentials in the 'how' 'who', and 'what' of participatory techniques in poverty research Reflection on the Research Process  Solutions for humanizing the lives of the rural poor usually need input from various government as well as non governmental agencies. Where the issue of allowing women to own land is concerned, one government official categorically stated, “Land issues are not really the government’s responsibility. The government’s work is to supply services – once the land has already been distributed; when this has happened, we will offer the available services to this land” (Southern New Hampshire University and the Open University of Tanzania Master of Science in Community Economic Development, 2007). This stresses on the need to harmonise different ministries and agencies under an umbrella association or institution that is given the commission of jointly pursuing rural poverty reduction. Without this, it is not likely that any one organisation will make the first step towards combating poverty in a practical way. In general, the aggregate rates of poverty have fallen in Tarakea in the last ten years when compared to the 90s; but there remain significant gains to be made if the entire nation is to develop completely (Vasrisani, 2007). The availability of semi skilled labour in Kenya as well as Africa in general makes the region lag behind in industrial development. In Tanzania, the pummelling of gravel is even performed by human hands instead of by machines as is common in the rest of the world. This costs the region because machines are more efficient. Using machines is also cheaper, but the fear of being confronted with high rates of joblessness results in poor attitudes towards the acceptance of technical expertise in many African nations. Unnecessary expenses caused by realities like these result in yet more poverty. Diseases are another contributor of poverty. Approximately 3,000 Africans die of A.I.D.S. on a daily basis, while 11.000 others get infected. Tanzania has a high rate of H.I.V. mortality, particularly in the rural areas such as Tarakea where there are customs attributed to the entire H.I.V. experience and thus making it harder to treat. The resultant deaths bring about the loss of man power for the region’s main activity which is farming and thus causes poverty. When a rural area like Tarakea has a high infection rate, absenteeism in jobs is high, and output is low. There is also less wealth generated. Apart from the discomfort, desolation, and death that come from disease, it is also a major issue in the generation of poverty (Vasrisani, 2007). To decrease and finally eliminate the incidence of poverty in Tarakea, stress should be put on the basic issues like health care and education. Conclusion Proper distribution as well as management of arable land in Africa will go a long way in eliminating poverty. Women should also be allowed to own arable land so that they can make the necessary improvements to it without needing to gain the permission of their relatives or spouses constantly. As women are the ones who till the land on a constant basis, it is likely that they are the ones who most understand what is needed for the land to be productive. Other methods of cultivation like irrigation could also be adopted to increase output. This will guarantee the continuous availability of food even when there is a drought. Neo-colonisation should also cease. This will make sure that Africa’s natural resources are not exploited by foreign nations that offer little in the way of return. Family planning is another feature that should be encouraged in order to lessen the number of people that make demands on the few resources available. Issues regarding inter clan conflict and the existence of communicable diseases that wreck entire communities should become a thing of the past. The Tanzanian government should seek to actively ensure this by initiating vaccination exercises for both children and adults. References Bryman, A. (2008) Social research methods, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Ellis, F. & Mdoe, N. (2003) ‘Livelihoods and rural poverty reduction in Tanzania,’ World Development, vol. 31, no. 8, pp. 1367- 1384. Gomm, R. (2009) Key concepts in social research methods, Palgrave, London. Mwabu, G. (2004) Quantitative poverty analysis, viewed 20 February 2012 . Southern New Hampshire University & the Open University of Tanzania Master of Science in Community Economic Development. (2007) The role of women in poverty alleviation; a case study of Tarakea women sawmill in Rombo district, Tanzania. The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania. (2013). Poverty Eradication. Accessed 21 . Vasrisani, S.S. (2007) The role of women in poverty alleviation: a case study of Tarakea women sawmill in Rombo district, Open University, Tanzania. Read More