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-The Malnutrition for children under five years seems to be the serious problem in Ukerewe district particularly in rural areas where they tend not to report those incidences to hospitals, even those who reports to hospitals or health centers, does it in a very late stages. The worsening nutritional situation of children under five is primarily ascribed due to the lack of suitable understanding on sound feeding practices for the particular group.Mzeituni Foundation succeded and won the fund from PANITA(Partnership for Nutrition in Tanzania) to commemorate the African food and Nutrition Security in Ukerewe district on 30th /10/2013.

The event was succesful held whereby the guest of honolr was the district Commissioner Hon.Mary Tesha Onesmo,whom was followed by the District Executive Officer,the council chairman and many other officers from government departments such as Education,Community department,Health,agriculture,livestock,TRA,CWT,religion leaders.

From the private sectors there were CSOs representives,political leaders and the citizens around Nansio town.

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Here is Honorable Minister PMORALG when he was giving the Speech and official Launch of "Accountability Practitioners Conference,which was held from– 27 to 29 August 2013 in Dar es salaam at WHITE SANDS HOTEL.Mzeituni Foundation being a pertner organization was invited and presented by Meshack Masanja(Executive director) and Chrispine Ferdinand(Program Officer).The event was jointly organized by Policy Forum, Action Aid – Tanzania, Forum Syd, Public Service Accountability Monitor – a unit at Rhodes University in South Africa, MS-TCDC and SDC – Tanzania. The aim of the conference is to bring all Social Accountability practitioners together so as to share information and to dialogue on the best ways to monitor public resources for the interest of communities. The conference will also be a platform for the practitioners to learn from one another on different ways of advocating for changes that lead to improved service delivery to the people and realize their social-economic and political rights. The conference also provided the practitioners an opportunity to learn more from other actors who use PETs as an approach in tracking public expenditure and to share on how the approach is integrated in the Social Accountability System.

We anticipate social accountability application to give satisfied answers to this situation to our students at both Igongo and Muriti primary schools.On 16th/09/2013,we are going to seat with the school committees of both schools to discuss the results of the survey we conducted and finally come up with the way forward.And if not enough we on the agreed day and date we shall have the parents public meeting to discuss this threatening situation and on how to face it.

This is a real and prevailing situation at Miti mirefu primary school,that regardless of inadequate of pits required as to per school WASH curriculum,there is no hygiene and sanitation observation,a tendency which has resulted into some different outbreak diseases.We are therefore still going through some possible processes so that at last something could be done as means of social accountability approach.It is obvious that under this circumstances students would not concentrate with studies to a satisfactory extent as they will be disturbed by unfriendly and unpleasant smells when at school.

It was on 21st of August when Mzeituni Foundation under the support of Forum Syd-Tanzania (a Swedish NGO)undertook simple survey at two primary schools named Miti mirefu,and Igongo primary schools(Muriti ward/Ukerewe district)which aimed on determining the adequacy of school toilets as per students population as National curriculum requires and advocate for change.The school WASH curriculum requires every 20 female students to use a single pit of latrine whereas 25 male students should use another single pit.But actually the situation seemed to be very bad because foristance Miti mirefu primary school which has 863(411-ME,452-FE) number of students whom were supposed to have total number of 39 pits but at present they have only 4 pits which means 2 pits for males and the rest 2 pits for female!!!Not only that but also there is no even a single pit for teachers!! It's real disturbing!!

Washiriki hawa waliowakilisha makundi mbalimbali ya watu wenye ulemavu,walipata fursa ya kujadili masuala kadha wa kadha na ya msingi wakiipitie rasimu ya katiba mpya sura moja baada ya nyingine.Huku wakitoa mapendekezo yao kama kundi la watu wenye ulemavu.Mapendekezo hayo yalikuwa katika maeneo tofauti kama vile uhuru wa vyombo vya habari,mahitaji ya watu wenye ulemavu na kuzingatia mazingira yao rafiki,kinga dhidi ya mamlaka ya raisi ambapo pamoja na mambo mengine wao walipendekeza raisi ashitakiwe mahakamani endapo atakiuka na kuvunja sheria za nchi hata baada ya utumishi wake katika taasisi ya uraisi.

Siku ya mjadala wa utoaji maoni ya rasimu ya katiba mpya katika hoteli ya DABUYA tarehe 3-4/8/2013. Mjadala huu uliandaliwa kwa ushirikiano wa Mzeituni Foundation na CHAWATA Mkoa wa Mwanza,na kuwaleta pamoja wawakilishi wa walemavu kutoka makundi mbalimbali katika wilaya za Magu,Ukerewe,Karagwe,Ilemela na Nyamagana. Mjadala ulifunguliwa na Mwenyekiti wa Chama Cha Walemavu Tanzania Mkoa wa Mwanza.Katika ufunguzi wake mwenyekiti aliwahimiza na kusisistiza washiriki kutazama swala la Katiba kwa upana na kuepuka kuzungumzia ulemavu binafsi au kulalamika.Aidha aliongeza kuwa ni vyema kuwawakilisha kikamilifu maelfu ya kundi la walemavu ambao hawakupata muda wa kushiriki katika mkutano huo. Mwenyekiti alitoa angalizo kuwa katika mjadala ni muhimu wote kuweka pembeni itikadi binafsi za kisiasa au kidini na kila mshiriki atambue amehudhuria kwa hali yake ya ulemavu na si vinginevyo. Washiriki walipata fursa ya kujitambulisha kwa majina,taasisi ,mahali wanapotokea na hali yao ya ulemavu. HIYO NI PICHA YA BAADHI YA WASHIRIKI WAKISHIRIKI KATIKA MJADALA.

Mr.Joseph K.L.Mugyabuso(Nutrition Partnership Manager)of PANITA(Partnership for Nutrition in Tanzania)presenting during the workshop that was held at Malaika Resort Hotel,Mwanza on 11-12/May/2013.PANITA is a coalition aimed at mobilizing civil society and other non-state actors to advocate for increased prioritization of Nutrition in community to National level development plans. Mzeituni Foundation being the PANITA member,was represented by Chrispine Ferdinand. PANITA has been set up as a forum that intends to act as a catalyst for raising the profile of nutrition in Tanzania through engagement of different civil society organizations, private sector, the media and other partners that work on nutrition sensitive interventions across the country. PANITA envisages to become a successful, influential, and inclusive forum that seeks to secure effective policy changes and practices in Tanzania at both national and local authority levels.