INCOME GENERATION ACTIVITIES
Good Neighbors, Tanzania has been implementing projects to help people prosper by creating small businesses. We do so by supporting income-generating activities of those members of the community who have been participating in our activities like saving groups, SSD, CDC, WASH, Advocacy, and others within our CDPs. Income Generating Activities(IGAs) consist of small businesses managed by a group of people to increase their household income through livelihood diversification.
To support the creation of these initiatives, we offer kick-off loans to the most sustainable proposals through microfinance which assesses, train and monitor the businesses before and after the implementation. This provides a much needed boost to their business at the initial stages while also encouraging individuals to take responsibility and ownership of the project through direct investment of their own savings.
The main aim is to assist women and youth in a sustainable establishment of income generating activities to be undertaken in the CDPs. IGAs tend to give women and youth a higher status within the family and studies generally indicate that the greater the amount of income under women’s control the greater amount devoted to their children’s education, health and nutrition.
As GNTZ Model, the identification of income generating activities comes from a bottom up approach. An IGA should correspond to the needs of women and youth within the CDPs,
The income generation department currently operates in two regions, Dar-es-salaam and Songwe region which include seven (7) community development programs (CDP).
The community development program including Kigamboni CDP, Salasala CDP, Madale CDP,Fukayosi CDP, Bagamoyo CDP, Shitunguru CDP and Nambinzo CDP.
SUCCESS STORIES
Forced Early Marriage and Pregnancies
Neema Joseph aged 16 years old is a form three student in Fukayosi Secondary School, she joined GNTZ advocacy clubs since she was standard five in Kidomole Primary School in 2017 (Fukayosi CDP). Fukayosi Secondary School founded in Bagamoyo District in Pwani Region where the challenge of gender inequality is highly prevailing comparing to other places in Tanzania. The girls in Fukayosi village have been going through the challenge of forced early marriage and pregnancies, being prepared as bride from early age and performing much of home chores that limit their time for doing their school home works, playing and rest. Neema witness that, being in GNTZ advocacy clubs it was and is a good opportunity for her to discover herself, knowing her rights and become confident, free and hope to achieve her dreams. During the interview with her when GNTZ staffs visited them in their weekly club activities, she was quoted saying that “if I could not be joined GNTZ advocacy clubs, I could have been engaged into early marriage or early pregnancies and I could not reach to that education level. Some of my friends who we are in the same age have already married and some ended up in miserable life. Through club activities i learnt my rights and responsibilities as well as self-determination. As a girl self-independence is very important, and it help me a lot to speak out and not convinced to engaged into bad behaviors. I wish every girl in Fukayosi to hear about child rights and gender equality education and free themselves from discriminatory and outdated cultural practices. GNTZ is intending to continue operating advocacy clubs in Fukayosi so that can help many boys and girls like Neema Joseph to have self-esteem and help to have generation that is inclusive and people in a society are treated equality.
Achievements
33 Income generation groups formed in all community development programs (CDP) where income generation is implemented.
31 Income generation groups (IGG) linked to a microfinance institution receive loans for expanding their business.
The household survey for improving livelihood in urban CPD has been done through the IGD department through KADI as a consultant from Korea.
Organizes communities around issues affecting them and built relationships with local authorities, service providers, donors, other civil society organizations, financial institutions, private sector and learning institutions.