Media Bonanza for scribes in Tanzania

Journalists from all walks of life converged at Msasani Beach Club for the 2012 TBL Media Bonanza. The annual event saw many scribes temporarily abandoning their pens and notebooks, computers, cameras and microphones to participate in the event full of pomp and funfair.

The guest of honour, Cde Samuel Sita delivers a keynote address during the Media Bonanza at Msasani Beach Club recently.

Journalists from most media houses in Dar es Salaam took the opportunity to mix, mingle and share ideas and experience. The Tanzania Breweries Limited sponsored event saw journalists competing in various sports disciplines.

FM Academia 'Wazee wa Ngwasuma', band members entertain the scribes.

The guest of honour, Honourable Samuel Sita, who is an MP and the minister for EA cooperation handed over various prizes to winning teams.

Wazee wa Ngwasuma's dancing girls show what they are made of.



Scribes took time to forget the newsroom hustles and dance their hearts out.




Media Solutions volleyball team readies for a clash with African Media in a game that was won by the latter by 2 -0.



A cross section of journalists following the proceedings.

Man sleeps with dead wife, refuses to bury her

AS the world celebrates women's day, a Vietnam man who due to his great love for his dead wife has stolen headlines the world over after admitting to sleeping beside the bones of his dead wife for seven years despite pressure from authorities to bury her.


IS IT LOVE OR SOMETHING?... Le Van with the remains of his wife

Father of seven Le Van said he dug up the bones of his dead wife in 2005, a year after she died, and has slept beside them ever since, online news site VietnamNet reported.

The case has sparked widespread media coverage, prompting local authorities to urge Van, 57, to bury the corpse. There are no laws banning him from keeping his wife’s remains at home, but officials said the bones were polluting the environment.

Van refused to comply. The picture shown above is of Van posing outside in his bedroom with the life-size casket in which his wife’s bones are. The painted coffin, made of gypsum and clay, is modelled in the shape of a woman and dressed in women’s clothes.

Doctor's strike continues in Tanzania

Medical doctors in Tanzania downed tools yesterday, pressing the government to sack the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Haji Mponda and his deputy Dr Lucy Nkya. The doctors argued that they were only to hold talks with the government after the two have been shown the way.



The Minister for Health, Dr Haji Mponda

Many doctors have heed the call by their leaders to down tools and the situation in hospitals is fast deteriorating. Many people could be seen transferring their relatives from government hospital to unknown destinations.

The government earlier this week defended the two senior health officials saying it wasn't their fault that the situation in hospitals was pathetic. In fact, the government argued that the doctors' concerns were there long before the two were appointed to their posts.

This comes exactly a month after doctors suspended their three-week strike last month on the 9^th of February giving the government one month to look into their grievances.

The strike had caused untold suffering to many ordinary Tanzanians who could not afford the services of private doctors.

Deputy Minister for Health, Dr Lucy Nkya.

Tanzanian doctors threaten another strike

Medical doctors in Tanzania have given the government up to tomorrow to sack the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Haji Mponda and his deputy Dr Lucy Nkya. The doctors argued that they were only to hold talks with the government after the two have been shown the way.



The Minister for Health, Dr Haji Mponda

They also threatened that failure by the government to remove the two, they would resume their strike. The doctors suspended their three-week strike last month on the 9^th of February giving the government one month to look into their grievances.

The strike had caused untold suffering to many ordinary Tanzanians who could not afford the services of private doctors.

Deputy Minister for Health, Dr Lucy Nkya.

The latest threat is a test for President Jakaya Kikwete as he is under pressure to act before the deadline.

Doctors’ demands in summary are as follows:

• Sacking of Heath Minister and his deputy, Dr Lucy Nkya.
• Improvement of working conditions
• Salary increment from the current level of 957,700/- to between 3.5 million/- and 7million/-.
• Signing of negotiation agreement and immediate implementation of what has been agreed.
• Their negotiations should not involve other health workers such as nurses and pharmacists.

Historic 2012 Biennial National Forum on Early Childhood Development Closes in Arusha

The Minister for Education and Vocational Training , Dr Shukuru Kawambwa, has officially closed the historic 2012 Biennial National Forum on Early Childhood Development Closes in Arusha, Thursday.


Mr Shukuru Kwambwa (center) exchanges the signed 2021 ECDF declaration with Marito Garcia of the World Bank, (left,) and Arcord Rutajwaha , who was representing CSOs, soon after signing the document, just before the closure of the biennial ECD forum, Thursday.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Kawambwa said that the government has articulated the country’s key development priorities and strategies in the poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, which places special emphasis on improvement in education, health, water and good governance; areas that are crucial to the wellbeing of the child.



Dr Haji Mponda left, speaks to Dr Shukuru Kawambwa moments before the official closong of the forum in Arusha Thursday.

“We have learnt from a number of presentations in this forum how integrated Early Childhood Development interventions could address challenges facing young children in their future life. These interventions include nutrition, early stimulation for brain development, early learning child protection, language development, and a host of other relevant interventions,” he said.




A drama group, Kesho Cafe, performs a drama on child abuse on the last day of the forum at Mount Meru Hotel, in Arusha.

He went on to thank all the organizers and sponsors of the event including the “ World Bank, INICEF, UNESCO, Children in Crossfire, The Aga Khan Foundation and Bernard van Leer Foundation. It certainly has been a successful forum. Thank you very much for funding and facilitating the running of the forum. This support is an assurance of your continued support to the Early Childhood Development in Tanzania.”

Watch this space for a detailed report and other events during the forum.







A drama group, Kesho Cafe, performs a drama on child abuse on the last day of the forum at Mount Meru Hotel, in Arusha.



A Maasai traditional dance group, entertains participants on the last day of the 2012 ECD forum in Arusha




Dr Kawambwa addresses journalists after officially the forum on ECD in Arusha. he is flanked by the Deputy Minister Community Development, Gender and Children, honourable Mwalimu.

First Biennial Tanzania National Forum on ECD in pictures

Professor Robert A. Levine (left) soon before presenting a topic on the imparatives for developing contextually relevant programmes for children in Tanzania and lessons learnt from international experience and case studies.




Dorothy Rozga an official from UNICEF presents on marginalised children and roles for municipal and central authorities


Lisa Jordan the Executive Director, Bernard van Leer Foundation (centre) leads a roundtable discussion on Monday. she is flanked by Elizabeth Missokia the Executive Director for HakiElimu (right) and Mary Kabati a Steering Committee Member, Tanzania Early Childhood Development Network.


Dr Lucy Nkya, the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Welfare contributes her views during a press conference held prior to the forum.



The Minister for Community Development Gender and Children, Sophia Simba, addresses a press conference held at Mount Meru Hotel.

Tanzania values importance of early childhood development: Iddi

Arusha
The Second Vice President of Zanzibar, Honourable Balozi Seif Ali Iddi, officially opened Tanzania’s first historic biennial forum to address the needs of young children in Tanzania here yesterday.




The Second Vice President of Zanzibar, Honourable Balozi Seif Ali Iddi, presents a keynote address to officially open the forum.

Honourable Iddi who was the guest of honour, said that the Government of the Republic of Tanzania recognizes and values the importance of the early years of children’s development, human capacity development, economic and social development.

” Tanzania has made a commitment not only to increasing investment for the improvement of the lives of children but also accepted to be the first country in the world to set up a pilot the first Early Childhood Indicators project.



The Second Vice President of Zanzibar, Honourable Balozi Seif Ali Iddi, receives a speech from Kelvin Joseph, the chairperson for the Junior Council of the Republic of Tanzania (Kilimanjaro Region). joseph presented the speech on behalf of children in this country outlining problems they are facing. Looking on is Minister for Community Development Gender and Children Sophia Simba.


“Being the first country in the world to pilot this project, it means that we have accepted to be a learning point by other countries and the international community. This calls for government commitment to reach the goals set by the World Summit in 1990, which considers the five rights of the child, that is survival, protection, development , participation and non discrimination,” he said.



An official from Aga Khan Foundation explains, to Honourable Iddi, what his organisation does in helping vulnerable children, during an exhibition held soon after the official opening.

He went on to point that though early childhood development is crucial in the development of a well-adjusted adult, Tanzania has not done enough to improve early childhood care and education especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
“Our government acknowledges with appreciation that the implementation of programmes for young children is currently in the hands of various Non Governmental partners, who over the years have been providing ECD services to young children especially those who are disadvantaged.
“These partners include Plan Tanzania, world Vision Tanzania, and faith-based organizations like the Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Lutheran, Pentecostal Churches, the Seventh Day Adventist Church as well as Muslim schools commonly known as Madrasa,” He said.



Meeting the Press. . . Hon Haji Mponda, Hon Iddi and Hon Sophia Simba, talks to journalists in the sidelines of the event.