SAY's Community Monitors attend training in Morogoro
English
Social Accountability Through Youth (SAY) seeks to empower young people and excluded groups to support 179 communities to hold organisations and authorities delivering projects to account. By supporting young people to monitor projects in their community as Community Monitors, SAY aims to increase the impact and value for money of development projects in 13 districts.
Young people selected by their community to become Community Monitors recently attended Raleigh training, so they can learn to monitor projects effectively. 100 young people from 50 communities in Morogoro attended a 4-day training on how to use monitoring tools and work with community leaders and Joint Working groups. Community Monitors learnt how to use the monitoring app Development Check and discussed common problems identified in services and infrastructure projects. Through this practical training, each participants are acquiring the skills to start monitoring real projects.
In Morogoro, the Community Monitors will monitor the projects by the NGO Shahidi Wa Maji, who are working to ensure water security for the poor, businesses and ecosystems in Tanzania through Community activation of Water Resources Management laws and policies.
The training focused on reviewing the key indicators of Shahidi Wa Maji’s project which are installed in the smart phone app Development Check. Through this, the Community Monitors will be able to understand and assess the progress of Shahidi Wa Maji project. However, this is not enough, their work goes above just identifying reporting problems with the projects, but will involve engaging stakeholders and the community to fix the problems and ensure that community members have their voices heard in the community’s Joint Working Group.
Tunu, a 28 years old from Mkono wa Mara village, was one Community Monitor who attended training. Despite being handicapped, she participated in every training session and is now prepared to step up in her new role as a Community Monitor. She said:
“The session was participatory, it was nice to get help from the Youth to understand how Development Check App works, but I understood after been instructed and I think it is easy to use now. ’I am happy that I have completed the training, I think the Joint working Group will solve problems and I will work with community leaders to increase participation and transparency.”
After attending the training, each Community Monitor will return to their community and form a Joint Working Group, a group which will take charge of fixing any project issues identified by the Monitor.
Community Monitors will continue to be supported by Raleigh’s SAY Project Officers and Youth Cluster Coordinators so that they can in monitor projects effectively and engage communities to stay involved in the project.
Kiswahili
Uwajibikaji wa Jamii Kupitia Vijana (UWAJAKUVI) una lenga kuwawezesha vijana na makundi maalumu kwenye jamii 179 kwa kushirikiana na viongozi au watekelezaji wa miradi kuwajibika ipasavyo. Mradi una lengo la kuwawezesha wafuatiliaji wa mradi ndani ya jamii ili kuongeza thamani ya fedha katika miradi ya maendeleo ndani ya wilaya 12.
Hivi karibuni, vijana waliochaguliwa na jamii zao kuwa wafuatiliaji wa mradi walihudhuria mafunzo kutoka Raleigh Tanzania ili kujifunza namna ya kufanya ufuatiliaji ipasavyo. Vijana mia moja (100) kutoka mitaa na vijiji hamsini (50) za Manispaa ya Morogoro na Morogoro vijijini. Mafunzo hayo ya siku nne (4) yaligusia nyenzo mbalimbali za ufuatliaji na jinsi ya kufanya kazi kwa karibu na viongozi wa vijiji, mitaa na kikundi kazi. Wafuatiliaji walijifunza namna ya kutumia programu tumishi (application) ya Development Check na kujadiliana changamoto zinazojitokeza kwenye huduma na miundombinu ya miradi mbalimbali. Kwa mafunzo hayo, kila mfuatialiji alipata ujuzi wa kuanza kufuatilia miradi kwa kushirikisha wadau na kufuata mfumo madhubuti.
Mkoa wa Morogoro pekee, wafuatiliaji wa mradi watafuatilia mradi wa Shahidi Wa Maji, hili ni shirika lisilo la Kiserikali linalofanya kazi kuhakikisha ulinzi wa vyanzo vya maji, matumizi bora ya maji na rasilimali kwa kufuata mfumo wa ikolojia. Pia, shirika linawezesha jamii kuelewa sheria na sera za utunzaji na usimaizi wa rasilimali maji.
Pia, mafunzo yalilenga kuhakiki viashiria katika mradi wa Shahidi Wa Maji ndani ya programu tumishi ya Development Check. Kwa kupitia njia hii wafuatiliaji waliweza kuelewa jinsi ya kufanya ufuatiliaji kwa kuzingatia viashiria vilivyowekwa kwenye mradi wa Shahidi Wa Maji. Lakini hii haikutosha, kazi yao haitaishia kugundua changamoto katika mradi bali kushirikisha wadau na jamii nzima kupata suluhu au kutatua changamoto hizo. Wafuatiliaji watahakikisha kuwa sauti za wanajamii zinasikikika kwenye kikundi kazi.
Tunu, mwenye umri wa miaka 28 mkazi wa Kijiji cha Mkono wa Mara ni mmoja wa wafuatiliaji wa mradi aliyehudhuria mafunzo. Licha ya kuwa na ulemavu wa mguu, Tunu alihudhuria vipindi vyote wakati wa mafunzo na anatarajia kuanza majukumu yake kama mfuatiliaji. Alisema,
“Vipindi vyote vilikuwa shirikishi, ilikuwa safi sana kupata msaada kutoka kwa mratibu wangu ili nielewe matumizi ya Development Check lakini naelewa jinsi inavyotumika sasa. Nimefurahi kuwa nimemaliza mafunzo. Nadhani kikundi kazi watatua changamoto na nitafanya kazi na viongozi wangu ili kuongeza ushiriki na uwazi katika jamii yangu”
Baada ya mafunzo, kila mfuatiliaji wa mradi atarudi katika makazi yake na kuunda kikundi kazi kwa kushirikiana na watendaji wa mtaa/ Kijiji. Kikundi hicho kitawakilisha makundi maalamu na wananchi wote kutatua changamoto zitakazoonekana baada ya ufuatiliaji.
Wafuatiaji wa mradi wataendelea kufanya kazi kwa ukaribu na maafisa mradi wa mradi hu una waratibu wa vijana katika mitaa/ vijiji vyao ili kazi ya ufuatiliaji ilete matokeo mazuri na kuongeza ushirikishaji wa jamii. Tunatarajia jamii hizo kuwa na uadilifu katika utekelezaji wa miradi yote.
