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In Tanzania, CoopAfrica has intergrated into two UN Joint Programmes - UN Joint Programme 1 on Wealth Creation, Employment and Economic Empowerment and UN Joint Programme 5 on Capacity Building Support to Zanzibar – to launch special Challenge Funds for Lindi and Mtwara (JP1) and Zanzibar (JP5).
The JP1- CoopAfrica and JP5-CoopAfrica Challenge Funds enable support services to be channelled to cooperative-type organizations such as registered cooperatives, self-help groups and other local member-based organizations, in particular in the informal economy, through grants of up to 20,000 USD provided to projects on a competitive, cost-sharing basis after approval by UN Interagency Selection Committees composed of FAO, ILO, UNIDO, and in the case of JP1, UNIFEM.
The JP1 - CoopAfrica and JP5-CoopAfrica Challenge Funds are envisaged as a tool to address a variety of development constraints such as unemployment, lack of social protection, lack of empowerment and poverty, in particular among women and youth, via increased and equitable opportunities for decent work and rural livelihoods with improvement in agro productivity, product quality and market access.
Through these Challenge Funds, a total of 17 projects have been funded thus far. The projects implemented by cooperative-related organizations cover a range of areas including: improving access to microfinance (via SACCO development), enhancing cooperatives governance, supporting value addition for selected crops (e.g. cashew nuts), productivity improvement for dairy and poultry cooperatives, and facilitating women/youth groups’, including PLHIV, access to business opportunities in coastal tourism, brick making, wine making, dairy goat-raising and fishing.
A summary of funded projects is provided below.
Guidelines explaining application procedures for the two Funds can be downloaded form the menu in the right-hand column. Please note that the Funds are currently not accepting new applications; notification will be posted here when the next calls open.
PROJECT SUMMARIES
JP1- CoopAfrica Challenge Fund (Lindi and Mtwara)
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1. Masasi Peoples Umbrella Organization (KIMAS) - Oil Seeds Growers Empowerment Project
KIMAS is planning to implement a project to improve productivity in groundnut and sesame processing and enhance marketing through acquisition of machinery (powertillers and oil pressing machines), processing training, packaging material procurement and entrepreneurship training to farmers groups. Beneficiaries will be members of farmers groups, with a minimum of 60% women farmers, working in the groundnut and sesame sector, and will address the problem of food insecurity brought about, among others, through inefficient farming methods (i.e. use of hand hoes), a lack of processing and weak marketing approaches. It is expected that the project will create additional opportunities for self-employment, as well as increase farmer incomes through better sales.
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2. Mtwara Sports Academy (MSA) - Improving Capacities of Youth and Women Economic Groups in Mtwara–Mikindani on Coastal Tourism (Cultural and Ecotourism) and Business Practices
The aim of the project is to build the capacity of youth and women economic groups on coastal tourism (cultural heritage and ecotourism) in Mtwara-Mikindani Municipality. This will be undertaken via skills-building on coastal tourism, product quality improvement for locally produced goods, and support for market diversification and promotion of products. The direct beneficiaries for this project will be 8 Youth and 5 Women groups with a total of 195 members and involved in various income generating activities such as waste management, cultural and traditional dancing, weaving, handcrafts, cloth making, local henna, souvenir production, food-snack packing, tour guiding, and fishing. It is expected that the groups will gain new skills and increase their awareness on promotion strategies and hence improve their production capacity and market access, thus helping to fight against income poverty and improve their standard of living. The project will also help the coastal community to conserve coastal resources and the environment while improving local livelihoods.
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3. United Peasants of Tanzania (UPT) - Supporting Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies to improve governance systems and mobilization of new membership
UPT, a cooperative-oriented NGO working to support Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies, is the implementer of this project aimed to contribute to the reduction of poverty through improved cooperatives in Mtwara-Mikindani Municipality. The project will improve governance in Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies in order to enhance accountability and transparency, to improve service delivery, and to mobilize new members. The project which will consist of awareness raising and training provision on cooperative governance-related topics is expected to reach directly the leadership of 14 AMCOS across five wards, and 166 potential or existing cooperative members. Particular attention will be given to cooperatives serving marginalized or disadvantaged groups of people, namely women, youth, orphans, and single-headed households in the 5 selected wards.
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4. Masasi Farmers and Marketing Association (MAFAMA) - Cashew nuts Farmers Empowerment Project
The Cashew Nuts Farmer’s Empowerment Project is expected to strengthen the capacity of MAFAMA – a farmer association working cooperative groups - and ward level farmers groups to respond to the needs of poor cashew nut farmers. The project will train farmers on the proper use of cashew nut inputs, rehabilitation of old trees through the use of simple and traditional techniques such as grafting, planting of high yield species, and processing of cashew nuts and cashew apple. The project will also establish cashew nut marketing centres where farmer groups will be able to access information on markets and prices of cashew nuts, and enhance knowledge on farmers’ rights and responsibilities under cashew nut legislation. The project will directly benefit four farmers groups and 640 farmers (320 male and 320 female) from eight villages in the four wards of Marika, Mwena, Lukuledi and Lisekese in Masasi District, and it is expected that it will help to increase both household income and employment of women and youth by 10%, among other benefits.
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