Social Work - Tanzania
The Trust of Daughters of Mary Immaculate and Collaborators (DMI) popularly known as DMI is a non-profit and a non-government organization that unconditionally serves and empowers the rural poor and the marginalized women; children and youths to organize themselves and have access to a quality of life in Tanzania. In 2003, SDMIC launched its development programs in Tanzania. SDMIC has been addressing the issues related to women, youth, children, and the community through a broad range of programs such as Prevention cum Rehabilitation of Young Girl victims of Trafficking, facilitating vulnerable women for a dignified life, creating employable opportunities for the Youth, and supporting the poor and the needy children have access to formal education. Over two decades, SDMIC has reached over 85,000 families covering 173 villages in Songea and Dar es Salaam Regions, Tanzania.
Our vision is of a world where all people especially the oppressed and marginalized are empowered through education and development.
Our Program Strategy
Prevention cum Rehabilitation of Young Girl Victims of Trafficking
Objectives:
- To create employable opportunities for young girl victims of trafficking through vocational training.
- To reintegrate young girls with their families through psycho-social intervention and life-skills education.
- To sensitize local communities and authority holders on the human trafficking issue through outreach, lobby, and advocacy actions.
Spring of Hope (SOH) works in rehabilitating and restoring girls’ victims through vocational education, and, as a long-term strategy, preventing trafficking by working closely with the local community. Every year, SOH rescues 80-100 young girl victims of trafficking from six regions in Dar es Salaam and provides psycho-social support, vocational training, medical aid, food, and accommodation. The girls choose their vocational courses namely beautician, catering, computer, and tailoring courses un on their interest, and intensively learn them for nine months and further go for a one-month internship with suitable employers in Dar es Salaam.
Young girls enhance their self-confidence and self-esteem during 10 months and regain their hope for a new life. The girls are awarded certificates of vocational skills and reintegrated with their families through counselling. The local community members, ten-cell leaders, and authority holders are mobilized and sensitized on the human trafficking issue through outreach, round table discussion, seminars, lobby, and advocacy actions to prevent children/youths from trafficking and thus safeguard their rights for a dignified life.
Facilitating Vulnerable Women for a Dignified Life
Objectives:
To increase household income for vulnerable women through entrepreneurship training.
To improve the good health and well-being of vulnerable women through health education and awareness campaigns
DMI mobilizes vulnerable women such as women headed families, divorced or separated women, women infected by HIV/AIDS, and widowed from rural and sub-urban sectors and supports them to form and promote women’s self-help groups; federates them in villages, districts, and regional level federations to uphold the leadership; the dignity of women and to safeguard women’s rights in Dar-es-Salaam. Women members have cultivated group cohesiveness, savings, and internal lending for their self-sustainability.
Women’s entrepreneurship program enhances women’s ability to start, build and scale up their businesses and to take leadership to secure their socio-economic rights. This program enables them to improve their living conations and thus address household poverty, hunger, starvation, and economic instability in the families. SDMIC also organizes health education, counselling services, and awareness campaigns and provides nutrition that supports them having access to good health and well-being.
Creating Employable Opportunities for the Youth
Objectives:
- To create job opportunities for the youths through vocational training courses.
- To facilitate youths to find suitable jobs through job placements and alumni associations
‘Wings Mobile School’ program enables less privileged youths to achieve their potential and make positive changes in their lives. Wings school provides Computer and Beautician skills and ensures a decent income for the youths to address poverty and economic pressures. It also prevents them from various forms of exploitation and trafficking. Youths are facilitated to support their families through their earnings. Wings program also creates space for the youths to form alumni associations to support each other in finding job opportunities, placement for internships, and reducing youth unemployment in Dar es Salaam.
Education for the Poor Children
Objectives:
- To facilitate the marginalized children have access to education through education support.
- To equip children with the basic concept of children’s parliament that provides them the opportunity to learn life skills.
SDMIC ensures that every poor and marginalized child has access to formal education through education support programs. The Education support program has helped particularly rural poor children from marginalized families with the educational kits and study materials to continue their education in a formal setup in Dar es Salaam. Children are mobilized to form children parliaments to enhance and practice their leadership skills and qualities similar to MPs in the parliament of Tanzania. Children’s parliament creates a space for children to share their ideas; build their creativity; and enhance their self-esteem. Children are aware of their rights and contribute to the decision-making process of the administrative system through the Children Parliament approach.
Contact Details
The Trust of Daughters of Mary Immaculate and Collaborators
Post Box 11776, Kimara,
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Phone: +255 686 312 816/+255 686 312 817
Email: tanzaniaco.sdmic@gmail.com
