Syrian and International Market

My work here in Tanzania is not very glamorous.  For the most part I sit behind a computer trudging away trying to design this training manual.  Never having designed a training manual of this sort, a lot of time is spent researching other trainings that CDF offers, including the Girl Child Network trainings and the Sister-to-Sister training course.  Because of this, I thought it might be interesting for you to know a little about these trainings. 

The Sister-to Sister training was designed to help combat child marriage.  Girls between the ages of 13-25 are informed about child marriage, human and specifically, children’s rights, life skills, decision-making skills, leadership skills and how to establish and run girls clubs in their community.  The idea to establish the Sister-to-Sister campaign came from research conducted by CDF on child marriage.  From the research, done mostly by conducting surveys, CDF found that there was a lack of awareness and knowledge on these key aspects. 

The Sister-to-Sister program was designed to be the starting point for developing a network of clubs of girls, giving them a place where they can come together to share ideas, formulate projects and work as a group, first to help one another overcome obstacles and difficulties that they are confronted with and secondly to raise awareness.  Simply put, it creates a support system of peers for these girls.

The overall objective of the training is essentially to advance and protect the rights of girls and young women through education on health, empowerment and livelihood opportunities.  Specific objectives of the Sister-to-Sister program is to give a voice to victims and also to non-victims and to empower them to make changes by building confidence and teaching life skills so that they may teach others.  The general aim of the groups is to motivate girls to work in groups and empower each other through the sharing of experiences and information and the development of skills that they will be able to use to improve their lives. 

The Sister to Sister training is somewhat based on the Girl Child Network, a similar network of clubs in Zimbabwe designed by Hazviperi Betty Makoni.  The clubs are designed for girls aged 0-21 and look to empower them through training and building a support system.  The version active in Tanzania, currently in four districts, Tarime, Musoma Rural, Ilemela and Sengerema, is known as the Girls Club Network and is designed to expand into further areas.  The training manual I am working on is supposed to work in a similar manner in that the training originates in certain areas and then grows from there as the trainees become trainers and start their own branches of the program.  The additional caveat of my training manual will be that the participants will be trained very specifically in the law so that they not only offer support and encouragement, but also valuable advice on how victims should proceed.  Training will cover most of the aspects of the Sister-to-Sister training, such as confidence building and decision-making skills but will focus more heavily on communication skills and the legal aspect of children’s rights.

On a non-work note, I have been learning to drive here which is not an easy task since they drive on the opposite side of the road (we can thank the English for that) and traffic lights are considered more of a guideline than a strict rule.  Add onto that the fact that the daladalas make their own lanes and own rules and you have a messy traffic situation.  So far, I have successfully made it to the supermarket twice, and once was in the dark. 

Last night, after work, we went to the Syrian and International Market which I believe is named so because there is a heavier Syrian influence than any other country (just a guess!).  It was very similar to the craft markets you might see in the U.S. around Christmas time with lots of booths that sell various products, including clothing, furniture, jewelry, household products and other such things.  It was very interesting since there was a heavy Arabian influence in the style of the products and it was fascinating to see that here.  We managed to buy some flyswatters, which we were in dire need of (although I have gotten better at clapping away mosquitos, the flies still manage to evade my wrath) and some socks.  There never was such an exciting trip to the Syrian and International Market J.  Worth a peek if you’re here during the right time of year.  Not sure how often it rolls through but it lasts for 2 weeks and carries on each evening until 9:30 p.m. so plenty of time to swing by after work.  You can even grab a bite to eat as there are food stands as well which sadly I did not participate in since I had already eaten.  There’s always next time! 

And with that I wish you a Happy Hump Day everybody!!