The SDG’s journalist and storytelling club was formed as a result of previous engagements with journalists in reporting SDGS stories. Our SDGs4ALL project supports the capacity building and initiation of the club. As we are in the “Decade of Action” our focus is on accelerating actions toward achieving SDGs by engaging media on how to communicate, achieve and meet challenges in the implementation of Agenda 2030. In 2021, we conducted a training with a theme; “Journalism and Media in Acceleration of the Decade of Action”

The main objective of the training was to strengthen journalists’ capacity in conveying stories that represent voices that are likely to be left behind.

The training involved a total number of thirty four (30) participants (17 female and 13 male) from different media fields such as Independent journalists, Media houses, Journalist students, Photographers and Journalists from media houses.  

The SDGs Journalist and Storytelling club is a youthful group aged 18-30 with the potential of achieving the SDGs in Tanzania. Further, the group is comprised of three Journalism categories such as general, specialized and investigatory journalism. 

During the training, the training aimed to highlight the importance and load that the members have especially with the timeline being the last 10 years of Action, ambition and commitment as termed by the United Nations, the DECADE OF ACTION. This was also an opportunity to invite new volunteers to the group and keep them in the loop of the objectives of the PSGD.

In ensuring commitment and a “division of labor”, the members committed to different goals, individually following their interests and linking to other committees that they are members in the society, this is because the SDGs touch every committee therefore a better pool to discuss and inform other MPs on the SDGs. However, the training included fetching experience from the Finnish Parliament, presented by Jenni Kaupila from UNA Finland.

UNA Tanzania believes in the importance of and power of the Members of Parliament, to make impact in the monitoring, review and the implementation of the SDGs especially at a time where the last phase of the Long term Perspective Plan, FYDP III 2021/22 – 2025/26 is underway, therefore an opportunity to integrate the SDGs in the plan.

On the journey to the last 10 years of the SDGS, UNA Tanzania supported our youth wing, YUNA Tanzania and actively participated in School Outreaches in Pwani Region, Mwinyi Secondary School in Mkuranga District and one in Temeke District in Dar es Salaam, Charambe Secondary School.

The outreaches met more than 500 young people from Form One to Form Six, both boys and girls. The main objective was to provide awareness on the global goals, emphasize active participation on young people being part of the journey through joining UN Clubs that our Youth Wing oversee in Secondary schools and Universities but also share opportunities that young people of their age can participate in.

The outreach was also an opportunity to put emphasis on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights especially to the young girls who are most prone to undergo temptations and destruction through their way to achieve their goals.

For effective governance of 10% administered at local government for impactful empowerment of groups of women, youth and people with disabilities UNA Tanzania and President Office development of National Guideline is on going.

Morogoro: UNA Tanzania and President Office Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities are developing the national guideline for effective governance of free interest loan 10% loan set by Local Government Authorities. The 10% Loans are set to uplift economically disadvantaged groups of women, youth and people with disabilities household income. The presence of loans trace back in 1993 when the parliament of Tanzania made a resolution due to the limited access to fixed collateral required by the banks for loan granting decisions. 

In 2018, the Government of Tanzania amended Section 37 of Local Government Finance Act by adding that all Local Government Authorities to mandatory set aside 10% interest free loans from their own revenue for empowerment of women, youth and people with disabilities, by providing groups to carry out income generating activities to lift their households out of poverty. These 10% free interest loans are distributed by 4-4-2 principal (4% women, 4% youth, 2% people with disabilities (PWDs). 

To make sure the amendments of the Local Government Finance Act, 2018 are adequately implemented and well known to the citizens, the Government introduced the Regulation for Loan Provision and Management among Women groups, Youth and People with Disabilities in 2019. Despite 93.3 billion being issued across the country, still, there are several challenges  including lack of proper Machinery for Governance of 10% Loan, Economic empowerment skills to monitor groups development, No special desk confined to work on 10% loan, Ghost Groups, Defaulting, Insufficient amounts issued to groups, Lack of lenient mechanisms for PWDs to access smoothly, Short Period until start of Loan repayment

With the presence of these challenges and several reports and studies done by PORALG, UNA Tanzania and other key stakeholders, it was observed that there is a need to develop a  national Guideline for effective governance of the 10% loans for empowering women, youth and people with disabilities in 2020. 

In this role, UNA Tanzania with consistency, being in the frontline in advocating for the 10% loans as dear to seeing more beneficiaries out of it, has been assigned by PORALG, to take lead in coming up with guidelines that will be used throughout the nation, defining the regulations into simpler terms and to inform the public on the availability of the loans all in purpose to make the 10% loans more effective and to be known by many who can benefit from it and moreover to empower a larger group of women, youth and people with disabilities. In this case, the need to have the national guidelines cannot be overemphasized.

UNA Tanzania conducted a strategic meeting with PORALG discussing the existing gaps and ways to improve the Regulation for Loan Provision and Management among Women groups, Youth and People with Disabilities. During this meeting, it was realised that the lack of proper machinery governing the 10% free interest loans was among constraints to the effectiveness of implementing Local Government Finance Act, 2018. 

In April 2020, as a follow up action to develop a proper machinery of governing the 10% free interest loans, PORALG consulted UNA Tanzania in developing a roadmap for the 10% free interest loans national guideline from the youth, online and offline, drawing success stories from the 8 regions, 3351 young people that it works with in this area, fetching challenges and recommendations to enrich the national guidelines.

UNA Tanzania Secretary General, Reynald Maeda, clarifying on the 10% interest free loans.

As a champion to the implementation of the 10% interest free loans issued from the Local Government Authorities, UNA Tanzania hosted and highlighted the topic during the monthly debates organized by Policy Forum, advocating, raising awareness and information on the topic.

10% loans were first introduced in 1993 for the purpose of empowering marginalized groups of women and youth with no resources to set as collateral in financial institutions. In 2018, the amendment of Local Government Financial Act Cap 290 sec. 37A set 10% as a mandatory free interest loans set by LGAs from their own revenue for empowerment of women, youth and people with disabilities, by providing groups to carry out income generating activities to lift their households out of poverty.

10% loans are revolving loan schemes distributed by 4-4-2 principle, for Youth, Women and People with Disabilities respectively.

The debate engaged different stakeholders and beneficiaries from the 10% loans, that contributed to the challenges they face, both from LGAs and the beneficiaries, while giving recommendations on the amendment of the regulation as currently UNA Tanzania was chosen by PORALG to take lead to develop the National guidelines to ensure effective governance of the 10% loans at the local councils that will be used at all LGAs in Tanzania.