Thursday, August 13, 2009

Photos taken at Mzumbe University, July 22nd 2009---leadership training for young women







The 22nd of July, leadership training for young women at Mzumbe University

On Wednesday the 22nd of July, 2009, I conducted a leadership training seminar for thirty students who are enrolled at Mzumbe University, located in Morogoro region. Although students came from from various disciplines, they were all 1st year university students. It should be noted that Mzumbe University has a staggering system, such that only first, second or third year university students will be available at the university at a particular time frame/semester. Thus one will not find 1st and 2nd year or third year students taking classes at the same time. (This helps to reduce congestion and competition for using facilities and resources that are available at the University, among the students).
The Dean of student Ms Mariam Matao Ngowi, assisted me to get participants and gave me a go ahead to conduct the leadership training seminar. The seminar was held in the evening after the student had had their supper. It started from 7:30 pm until 10:00pm. Mzumbe University students were more enthusiastic than students from the University of Dar-Es-Salaam. They seemed to be more aware of the challenges that are facing leaders of today in Tanzania, Africa and the World as a whole, such that they have to pay-back to the financial supporters of their campaigns (most of them are businesspersons), while at the same time fulfill the needs and wants of their voters and the general citizens---conflict of interests.
Please take a look at educational video clips that were used to get the message across.

I will soon post articles that were written in Swahili and English in Tanzania local newspapers.

The 11th of July leadership traning video

Thursday, August 6, 2009

The Young Women Leadership Training at UDSM and UCLAS 11th of July 2009 Photos











The 10th and the 11th of July

Friday the 10th (one day before the leadership training workshop) that was when I was told my Naomi, the student who was assisting me with getting the venue for the leadership training workshop that the room she was officially working on RSVPing was not available anymore and thus I had to look for another venue. Looking for another venue, means I had to pay for the venue, projector and even the person who showed me the room/venue. I was so surprised that gratuity had to be done everywhere, even in places when it was the person's job to open the door for example. It made me realize how my country has changed so much, the "socialism" attitude, such that we are all together in this has started to take another form. Monetary rewards, or money has been the mover of things, not merely good ideas. I had to do what I had to do,in order to secure the venue and the projector.
After securing the venue on Friday afternoon, I contacted students who had registered for the leadership training workshop via sms and informed them about the place where the workshop is going to be held and the start and ending time, which was 9:00am until 2:00 pm. I was then left with bites and drinks for the day. I arranged to get the bites and drinks delivered to the venue on Saturday morning.

The morning of the 11th of July, the guest speakers and students arrived as expected. The workshop started with introduction (getting to know you), followed by a power point presentation that was given by me, guest speakers talk Regia Elastus and Mama Gemma Akilimali and Q and A session.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

The mid and the end of the second week of July (up to the 9th of July)

I had just set the date for the leadership training workshop, Saturday 11th of July. Naomi was to help me with recruiting female students from education, sociology, geography, political science and public administration dept, business and commerce dept and so forth. I also asked her to use the student governing body name (DARUSO) to reserve a room to do the workshop and get a projector.
Well luckily enough, I was able to get 48 students who registered to attend the workshop on Saturday the 11th from UDSM. I then went to the University College of Land Evaluation and Management (UCLAS) and asked to get five female students from their department to take part in the leadership training. After I got all the names and contacts of the students who wanted to take part in the leadership training. I had to make sure that I had the venue, projector and guest speakers for the workshop.
I went out and started looking for women political leaders---members of the parliament who are from the ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and the opposition, Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA). As far as getting political leaders is concerned,it was hard to get members of the parliament, because nearly all of them were in the parliament, taking part in the general assembly, etc. Luckily, one member of the parliament, Halima Mdee of CHADEMA, referred me to a youth activist, who is working with CHADEMA, Ms Regia Elastus Mtema to act on her behalf. So, I went ahead and connected with Regia and invited her as a guest speaker to the leadership training workshop---the major theme of her talk was to get young women involved in politics and run for political posts, whenever they are open as well as getting them jazzed up to be active members of their communities.
Knowing that I had Regia to cover the theme on political leadership, I knew that the young women leadership training would not be complete if I don't have a gender issues expert to address the challenges women face when they are at work or assuming leadership posts. Thus, I also tried to connect with an NGO, which works towards gender equality, equity, social and economic justice, known as Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP). Through TGNP, I managed to get Mama Gemma Akilimali, who is an expert on gender issues, a social activist and has trained women members of the parliament on leadership,worked with DANIDA, NORAD,SADC and so forth as a consultant on gender issues, etc.
After knowing that I had my guest speakers, I knew that now it was up to javascript:void(0)me to make sure that I have everything ready.

The first week and the beginning of the second week of July in Dar-Es-Salaam

At the University of Dar-Es-Salaam (UDSM), I was welcomed very well with the head of department of Business and Commerce at the University of Dar-Es-Salaam Business School, whose office was right across from the UDSM dean's office. I originally supposed to see the dean to inform her about my plans, in order to be authorised to conduct the leadership training workshop. Unfortunately, the dean was out of town and so was the assistant, thus the head of the dept of Business and Commerce department decided to assist me with my plans. The head of the dept, gave me the name and contact of the female student who used to be vice president of the student governing body (DARUSO)at the university, Naomi Mafwiri. Initially, I thought that it would be better for me to attach myself with a certain department at the university. Thus I started asking around which dept at the university might be willing to work with me to do this program. More than three people suggested that I speak with the dept of public service at UDSM. So I went to the dept and asked to speak with the dept head. The dept head suggested that I write a proposal for the leadership training, etc and will perhaps take two weeks for me to get clearance to do the training. This is so because a committee will have to review my proposal and to see if it the training will be valuable to the students or not. After listening to the suggestion of the head of the dept of public service and here the procedures my requests will have to go through. I thought it was better to go ahead and look for Naomi a former vice president of the DARUSO and ask her to assisst me in getting the students, the word out about the training that I was about to provide to the students and other logistics.
Working with the university student governing body was a very good idea, simply because it was easy to organize and galvanize the female students from various disciplines at the UDSM and the University College of Land Evaluation and Management (UCLAS). I was able to get about 50 students who registered to attend the workshop.