International Women’s Day (IWD), originally tagged as ‘International Working Women’s Day’, has been celebrated around the world, each year on March 8th, since the early 1900’s and has been celebrated in many different ways. In some areas of the world it is in fact a National Holiday and in others, it is a day where women are celebrated in a similar way to that of Mothers Day and/ or Valentines Day (or corporate love day to you and me). For many it can be a day of celebration of Women and the Girl Child as well as a chance to highlight the continued issues still faced by Women and Girls across the Globe.

My first interaction with IWD wasn’t until I got to University, whilst I had come across it before, only briefly, I wasn’t really sure what it meant in general and for me. At Uni, I got involved, as many do, with student politics and actually started the first Women’s Group; together we organised events, raised awareness of issues such as health, Domestic and Sexual Violence, to name but a few. One year, as a celebration of IWD, we performed the Vagina Monologues (http://www.vday.org/about ) an incredible book written by one of my idols, Eve Ensler. This was a wonderful celebration and awareness raising event of women from all over the world and from that day on, I was hooked with IWD. Each year I would do something to celebrate with my fellow sisters; whether this be through music, art and poetry or taking to the streets of Central London and marching alongside empowering and inspiring women for Million Women Rise (http://www.millionwomenrise.com/ ) whatever was going on I was sure to be there…

So you can imagine my excitement when, for the first time, since I found this wonderful event, I am actually in another country to celebrate my fave time of the year…it was time to celebrate all things women and raise awareness of the cause, here in Tanzania…

As my VSO placement here is with UN Women (UNW) and currently supporting a Tanzanian Women’s Organisation, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend several different kinds of events. First up, a couple of lunch time seminars one on the Constitutional Review, currently ongoing here and its impact on Gender followed by one on Gender Responsive Budgeting which was delivered by Mary Rusimbi, the ED at the project I am working with through UNW. Both sessions were fantastic, esp for a political geek like myself…learning how other countries, within Africa, have taken on the task of Constitutional reform and how Tanzania can learn and improve on past mistakes was truly insightful and to see how important Gender Main-streaming is for Parliaments to ensure they’re aiming towards a Gender Equal society gave me a lot of food for thought.

In addition to the seminars I also attended a VSO event in collaboration with the Canadian High Commission and the University of Dar es Salaam’s Gender department. Held at the National Museum in town there were 4 key female speakers all sharing their inspiring stories of how they got to where they’re today, including a fellow VSO/CUSO vol, Michelle who gave a fantastic speech and had the audience captured by her experiences. What I loved about this event was that it was aimed at the youth. There were about four schools present; girls and boys all keen to learn and celebrate Intentional Women’s Day.

Students from a local school line up to enter the auditorium  a chorus of ‘Poa’ in respsonse to my ‘Mambo’ was wonderful! (a phrase used by many of the youth as a greeting)

The theme for this event was; ‘Youth momentum in Gender; Be the Change!’ Which couldn’t have been more true. Here in Tanzania the Youth make up over half the population and are therefore a key group when it comes to decision making and supporting the next generation of leaders. What was wonderful about this event was seeing how engaged each member of the audience was; listening attentively to each speaker and making notes on how perhaps one day that could be them up on the stage.

After all the speeches there was time for a Q+A which really highlighted the ‘Youth Momentum’; hands were going up everywhere and not just from the young women but also the young men; with one student asking a crucial question on sexual bribes something which is now being called Sextortion and an issue which research is starting to show is on the rise here. Instead of monetary bribes the suggestion of sex as a bribe is on the increase. I was so impressed to hear him ask about this and put the discussion out there, showing real concern for his sisters in the room and asking how this could impact on them. He truly is a leader, not of tomorrow but of now and certainly has a bright future ahead of him.

A future leader

As I mentioned before, the beauty, for me, of International Women’s Day is also about getting together with like minded people and celebrating women and girls. The University of Dar es Salaam had also got several students together to help out at the event which was great as I got to meet Sophia, a young Tanzanian woman studying her MA in Gender Studies. Her passion, commitment and dedication for the cause was wonderful and like the young man in the audience she too can be the change and have a great future.

Sophia welcoming guests

Finally on Friday March 8th, officially International Women’s Day, I attended my final event of the week; the Tanzanian Première of ‘Half The Sky’ (http://www.halftheskymovement.org/) organised by UN Women and partner organisations all working on the issue of Gender. Half The Sky is a fantastic documentary series shot across 10 different countries highlighting various issues from FGM, Prostitution and Women’s Economic Empowerment to name a few. Due to the length (4 hours in total) we only viewed two of the documentaries; one shot in Somaliland looking at the impact FGM has on women and girls and the second in Indian around the issue of prostitution where girls are being exploited from as young as 9. Both documentaries were incredibly shocking but sadly not surprising – these are issues which occur daily for women and girls across the Globe however, this can change. What the documentaries show you is the fantastic work of local women who are striving, daily, to make a safer space for women and girls so they don’t have to suffer, they don’t have to sell their bodies in order to feed themselves and their families but actually they can and are receiving an education and aspiring to be the change.

Following the documentaries there were discussions led by a panel of youth from the University all of whom had insightful views on how we can take this forward and not just talk but act.

Inspiring panellists  

People say that Women and Girls can and will be the change and future leaders of tomorrow but what I have learnt not just in this last week of celebration and education but over the last 7 months, is that Women and Girls ARE the change and ARE the leaders of NOW, TODAY and the FUTURE…

There is a wonderful African Proverb that says; ‘Educate a man and you educate one person; educate a woman and you educate a whole Nation.’

Members of VSO Tanzania and UNW 

6 months ago I said the hardest ‘see you later’ (I had banned the ‘G’ word as for me it held connotations of definite and ‘never to return’) I’ve ever had to do…leaving the Jenkos at the airport was more emotional than I could have ever predicted but we all new this was something that, not only did I need to do but also wanted to do and had worked incredibly hard to get to this stage, through many highs/ lows and potential U- turns over the previous months, I had finally got to this stage; the airport…

Fast forward 6 months and here I am; living and volunteering in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – 6 months you say?! WOW; they weren’t kidding when they said; ’ Time really does fly by’ – 6 months you say?! WOW that’s a quarter of the way through my placement, 6 months you say?! WOW, I can actually now say to folk; ‘Hey, I’ll see you next year…’ But what has Ms Jenko done in these epic 6 months, well…

When I arrived here, 6 months ago (in case you need reminding of the time frame) I landed in this new, perhaps a lil strange, yet some what intriguing City that would soon be somewhere I would call home…WOW! And I quickly began to Iearn a few of the local ‘customs’;

Outside the legendary Econolodge

* Coffee and peanut type treats are drunk and eaten by the locals on the street corners all over town; even now, just outside my apartment block there will be a Kaka walking along with a tea pot and peanuts for folks to buy and enjoy but this ain’t no Starbucks, you take your time and sit on the roadside, chatting to others and certainly don’t get a crappy paper cup but actually a porcelain tea cup to enjoy your coffee. However, what I have also noticed is how this is always and only the men who do this, even in Zanzibar, there is a corner in Stone Town that, no matter what time of day you pass through, there will be over 10 men sitting or laying around, drinking their coffee…

* I have also learnt about a local dish – the legendary CHIPSI MAYAI – 6 months on and together with James, I am becoming quite the connoisseur of the chipsi mayai (basically a chip omelette but a full blog, it deserves on in its own right, will follow) – I know the best places in Dar and funnily enough I had one to celebrate my ‘6 month anniversary’ at a new place, which turned out to be one of my faves so far! (as always I know how to party!)

Heaven! 

* Sport is very popular; whilst many may not be able to afford all the gear etc, they watch it constantly especially football; they LOVE football! Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool – all the big teams are celebrated!

* Dancing is HUGE -Tanzanians also love to dance, which has been great for me – you all know Ms Jenko loves to express herself via the medium of darnce…here, movement is used in so many ways and can mean different things to different tribes, ages and gender but they ALL love to dance!

* When a fundi (handy man) says he shall be there at a certain time, add at least 2/3 hours maybe even another day or week…

* I’m a good cook; being veggie I am used to cooking from scratch but living on a budget makes me also experiment and being creative with what you can get hold of is something I am learning!

Cheese less Lasagne (cheese is very pricey here)

* Transport is in a world of its own; every day you play ‘dodge ball’ you being the ball, dodging the traffic coming your way and if I am not walking/ dodging my way somewhere I am squeezing onto a Dala Dala – ‘Bus’ like a sardine, often hanging out of the door as we drive to our destination. Failing these options I may flag down a bijaj (tuc tuc) and take the ‘off road’ approach and let the driver dodge the traffic!

Me taking over the Bijaj, Halloween 2012

I have also been fortunate to have already visited some pretty cool places; the stunning hills of Morogoro for language training were truly beautiful, the Vine Yard in Dodoma and the market during our Annual Volunteer Conference were great and how can I not mention the wonder that is Stone Town, Zanzibar- getting lost around the alley ways is all part of the fun and their music festival is truly epic (blog coming soon…)

In addition to customs and activities, I have also begun to learn a lot more about life here for women and girls;

* Women are often treated as second class citizen’s.

* Women are more likely to live and remain in poverty and have no education compared to their male counterparts.

* The minimum legal age for marriage is 15 for a girl and 18 for a boy however, the Law does allow for exceptions for girls aged 14, under ‘justifiable’ circumstances (I have yet to come across a ‘justifiable’ circumstance…)

* Approximately 48% of women in Tanzania have experienced Domestic Violence (But, as we know with all forms of gender based violence, it is highly under reported and certainly here there are still major barriers for women reporting and/ or accessing support.)

* Whilst prostitution is illegal in Tanzania it happens, especially in Dar with a high tourist population. Since working with Women Fund Tanzanian (WFT) I have also met a network who supports women in prostitution and are working so hard to ensure their rights are heard, especially during the constitutional review which is currently taking place here in Tanzania.

* Women parliamentarians make up 36% of Government which is good compared to International standards however many of these are due to ‘special seats’ whereby each party can elect, within their party, not through public election, female candidates to take a seat in Parliament. These seats are not always viewed as positive and many women have faced discrimination from both male and female colleagues, being told their seat is ‘easy’ and ‘redundant’.

In addition to the above though, having now spent 6 months working with various members of the Women’s Movement in Tanzania I can also say I have learnt and seen, first hand, just how dedicated, passionate, committed, strong, determined and hard working the women and girls of Tanzania really are and honestly every day I feel truly grateful and privileged to be working along side and meeting some of the most inspirational women I have ever had the fortune to meet, for every day they inspire me that little bit more.

So 6 months in and how do I feel, mmm, I guess the above says quite a bit about how certain experiences have begun to shape by time here, only after 6 months. Of course there are days where I am not so ‘woo hoo I live in Africa and I am having the most amazing time’ – I still get home sick and miss family and friends like you wouldn’t believe but then actually, most days I do actually think; ‘Woohoo, I live in Africa and I REALLY AM having the most amazing time’… what I have perhaps experienced and learned most over the last 6 months is actually about myself and that I can do this, I can live away from my ‘normal’ surroundings for a long period of time and be ok, yes there may be challenges but I am over coming them and having a blast so I guess all that’s left to say is; I’ve had a great first 6 months; bring on the next quarter…

I know I know, its practically the middle of Feb and only now do I get round to writing my blog about Christmas in Tanzania but hey ho folks, better late than never. Now, are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin….

As you know from my last post (tell me you READ the last post) I travelled to the south of Tanzania to spend it with friends. For Christmas day we were staying in this lovely place called Cliff Bar run by a wonderful Polish Woman, Mama Mtupa – or Mama 2 Pac as we chose to name her – who had been living in Tanzania for over 15 years. Kayley and Paul two fellow vols already lived in Mtwara and had a great place right near the beach, George another vol from Dar was staying with them. James, Clare, Sandra and myself all stayed in this lovely house at Cliff Bar. We had our own kitchen, living room, bedrooms and bathroom.

The Living Room, as you can imagine, Ms Jenko was in Vintarge heaven

Mtwara is a really lovely town and is currently seeing lots of action/ potential development with the Gas which has been discovered but yet to be drilled – I’m not going to go into this as it requires a blog in itself but also some sensitivity. What surprised me most about Mtwara was how big it is and spread out but this was good as it made for a very relaxed environment which was perfect for my first Christmas away from home…

That’s right folks, in 30 years Ms Jenko may have been away from family and friends and the UK for New Year but NEVER for Christmas so this was certainly a big first but with a bunch of fellow vols many of whom were in the same boat, I new I would be OK! Christmas Day came and what a wonderful day it was…we were given eggs and bread rolls by Mama 2 Pac, together with the fruit James and I had brought and were already excited about our morning feast, but wait, there is a tradition which Ms Jenko ALWAYS has every Crimbo morning and whilst I was willing to get into the spirit of new things, there were some things I wanted to do to remind me of home….back at the beginning of the month we had travelled to Dodoma which is known for vino and I managed to pick up a couple of bottles of a Tanzanian version of Prosecco – BAM! Together with some Passion Fruit (for a Tanzanian twist) we had our very own, wait for it….BUCKS FIZZ! Though of course, this did involve a morning mission of; lets locate a cork screw…

Ms Jenko on the Hunt for a cork screw….

Oh I was happy and also along with James, as the others didn’t really drink it, got a lil tipsy on our first Crimbo morning in Tanzania! ;-) Luckily we had the solid breakkie of eggs (perfectly scrambled by James) bread rolls and fruit to keep us going until lunch. We weren’t eating lunch until 3pm as Mama 2 Pac had a group of Nuns arriving and we have all discovered how much the nuns love to eat, drink and party but hey ho this was good as for me lunch was usually late afternoon back home.

Before lunch there was of course one other tradition which I wished to fulfil….it was of course time for my morning film and what better film than the legendary- ELF – no Christmas is complete without that bobby dazzler….

We all got together at Cliff Bar for lunch where Mama 2 Pac had put together this wonderful spread of various vegetables, salads, rice, some meat and chips, it was laid out in bowls onto the table and just like Crimbo back home you each helped yourself, whilst the food may not have been the same we certainly all stuck to another tradition of well and truly stuffing our faces!!! Of course there was also the tradition of ‘Silly Crimbo hats’ which we had brought from home or had sent out, this really did help make the day feel more ‘Christmas like’.

After lunch a few of us headed to a local hotel where we had eaten the night before and could use their WIFI to Skype home; this was lovely as we all shared in each others highs and lows as we chatted and certainly missed our loved ones. I got to chat to the whole Jenko Klan; Molly and Dax, my grandparents, Bro and Mama and Papa. Seeing Mama wear the Tanzanian footy shirt was lovely and chatting with my nan to confirm that the chocolate ban was still on but if it was dessert then it was OK – she really is a legend!

From here we headed to Kayley and Pauls for a bonfire, yes cause we weren’t hot enough! With this, left the final but perhaps the most important tradition Ms Jenko and many of us have on Crimbo day; CHEESE AND CRACKERS!!!!I had saved up some of my allowance to buy some imported cheese; ‘Hot Dutch’ the name alone was enough to buy it, chilli Edam, mmmm yes please! And Irish Cheddar, teamed with some salty crackers we had picked up in town. Honestly I cannot even begin to describe how excited we all were to have cheese, REAL cheese, back in our lives…

There was a moment of silence as the cheese plate was brought out and laid onto the table….of course in this heat teamed with that of the fire, this wasn’t gonna last long and silence soon turned to the sounds of; ‘mmmm’, ‘ahhhh’ and of course ‘OH MY GOD THIS IS EPIC!’….THIS was how you end Christmas….

James slightly overwhelmed by the cheese.

Ms Jenko doesn’t waste where cheese is concerned!

Whilst Christmas here is celebrated it is certainly on a completely different level to that of back home. For one, if you weren’t aware of what day it actually was you could be forgiven for thinking it was just another day as there aren’t really any major signs to suggest its Christmas; no garish tat hanging from shop windows, no emotionless (in my view) and corporate race to buy as many presents and spend as much money as you can, though I say money, get into a much debt as you can, all for the sake of one day – I say this, as for the past few years at the Jenko house we banned presents, Papa Jenko had lost his job and we just all agreed no more pressies and you know what, they have been some of the best Christmas’s I have had, all together, chatting, enjoying food and just relaxing. Here of course there are other reasons why those things don’t happen but one thing that does, is that families do get together and spend time with each other, they eat, laugh and go to church so actually, minus the church side, things here weren’t too different after all, OK the weather is far from the same and the food was different but I got to spend the day with people I care about and who care about me and for me, that’s what Christmas is all about…really, traditions aren’t static, whilst they can be determined by where you’re initially, like you, they can move and with your traditions come new ones and that’s one of the many beauties I am learning on this epic adventure…