This programme mainly implemented in pastoral communities in Mvomero district, basically to reduce language barrier and long walking distance from home to school. SAWA has built 2 ECD Centers (Matangani and Vianzi) both of each has been recognized by Mvomero District council as Satellite Schools. Monthly mobile clinic outreachs is conducted at vianzi village to provide access on Maternal and Child health services
Provision of a Borehole at Matangani Early Childhood Development Centre
Mela is among the villages found in Mangae Ward. Mela like other villages in Mangae is remote and dry and is inhabited with pastoralist communities by over 95%. Apart from the drought that results from shortage of rains, lack of water in the village has also had effect on women and children in terms of time spent in searching for water. Long time spent in water limits women with the responsibility of looking after their children in terms of feeding and caring, but children are deprived of their time to attend to school when sent away from their homes to go to search for water. Safina Women's Association in partnership with Firelight Foundation has supported provision of a Borehole at Matangani Hamlet in Mela Village to reduce the pinch that women and children were experiencing. The Borehole that has been drilled facilitates provision of lunch for the children at the centre but also communities surrounding the centre with domestic water.
Strengthening Mother and Child health at Vianzi and Matangani
Families and communities at Vianzi and Matangani Villages are supported through women and men economic empowerment-groups to improve their economic capacities in order to enable them provide holistic quality care to their children .Two groups at Vianzi and three at Matangani were supported in terms of assessment of viable exisisting households' economic activities, including mobilization of communities on sel-help projects to support ECD centres. In addition to this, hundred (100) group members were trainned on entrepreneurship skills in improved breed of local chickens and pigs that are dicease resistant and more productive, aimed at icreasing income at households' level from 10% (current) to 20%
Provision of desks at Vianzi/Matangani ECCEs and Kibaoni Primary school
Training of para-professional teachers from Masai community is part of SAWA's efforts to ensure children have access to quality education. This is in addition of training of twelve (12) teachers and six (6) care givers on child-friedly teaching methods that was provided last year. In the year 2016, fourteen (14) teachers out of sixteen(16) who were targeted received trainning on preparation of schemes of work. Lesson plans, including how to fill in subject logbooks. Provision of this training has brought enormous impact in terms of teachers' profficiency in teaching lessons, but also systematic teaching that orients from the training, make the children catch up quicker in classes.
SAWA's Secretary General presenting 65 desks to Mvomero District Commissioner for Kibaoni P/School and Matangani ECCEA
Improving learning environments at Matangani and Vianzi Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres Feeding program at the centres
It has been well known that children are highly attracted to the centres with active interaction among themselves when lunch is made available. As part of ensuring access to quality childhood education was attained at the centres, parents were sensitized to take the role of feeding their children through financial contributions to meet the costs of maize flour, cooking oil, salt and vegetables. To improve sanitary conditions for cooking at Matangani ECD, Safina Women's Association in partnership with Firelight Foundation of USA renovated a kitchen and a store in which food is now prepared. In the usual manner, renovation of the kitchen and store received overwhelming support from the community through contribution of local materials such as sand and birick.
