Progress of the Million Hour Fund Project

The past 2 months have seen BYC and its youth engage in different activities in the Million Hour Fund project and these have been workshop seminars on Sexual Reproductive Health, Civic Participation and Entrepreneurship. The workshop trainings were conducted in a participatory manner engaging the youth and the facilitators. Each workshop ran for 5 days from 8.00 a.m to 4.00 p.m in the evening with tea and lunch breaks in between.

10 peer educators that are the core part of the project were involved in a two week workshop on SRH and Facilitation skills and Civic participation. They were also given a chance to develop and showcase their skills through a 15 minute session in front of a panel of school teachers and the facilitator. This was a form of preparation for facilitating to the 100 peer educators, since one aspect of the trainings is that the 10 peer educators facilitate sessions on SRH and Civic Education and Participation to the 100 youth that they are targeting in their communities.

Group discussions during one of the trainings of the 10 peer educators

There was immense excitement during this time as youth trained youth, and there were also debates that ensued after these two trainings. The aim of the debates were to bring about issues that were discussed in matters concerning SRH and Civic Participation and Leadership.

Another group discussing issues on SRH during the training of the 10 peer educators

Currently, as a means of promoting sports and volunteerism to the 100 youth and indirect 100 youth in Buguruni and Kiwalani communities, BYC has organised and is running a league that will carry on till the month of December for a final bonanza.

The teams that are taking part in the league are Buguruni A and B, Kiwalani A and B, Buguruni Heroes and Mandingiteni.

The timetable for the match is as follows;

Group A

Day	Match	Place	Time
Saturday – 16th Nov 2013	Kiwalani (A) vs Buguruni (B)	Buguruni Primary School	4.00 p.m.
Saturday- 23rd Nov 2013	Kiwalani (A) vs Buguruni Heroes	Buguruni Primary School	4.00 p.m.
Saturday – 30th Nov 2013	Buguruni (B) vs Buguruni Heroes	Buguruni Primary School	4.00 p.m.

Group 2

Day	Match	Place	Time
Saturday – 7th Dec 2013	Buguruni (A) vs Mandigiteni	Buguruni Primary School	4.00 p.m.
Saturday – 14th Dec 2013	Mandigiteni vs Kiwalani (B)	Buguruni Primary School	4.00 p.m.
Saturday – 21st  Dec 2013	Kiwalani (B)  vs Buguruni (A	Buguruni Primary School	4.00 p.m.

                                    

Drama and culture are also progressing well as a drama facilitator is currently training some of the youth of Kiwalani and Buguruni who are part of the 100 youth. The drama group has at least 10-15 members and they are some youth who are joining as the days go by.

Drums for the culture group under the Million Hour Fund that also assist in the centre's art, drama and culture programme

Jasmine one of the 10 peer educators, far left, and some of the 100 youth in a dance training session

Activities are still going on as youth who are part of the project including the 10 peer educators have made work plans and are doing facilitation sessions during the week and reaching out to 100 youth (10 for each) while the 100 youth are also doing the same to reach to 1000 youth.

While these sessions are going on, income generation groups are being formed in order to start businesses that will make the youth self-sustainable.

Introducing BYC's Million Hour Fund Project

BYC is one of the three organisations in Tanzania who have entered into a partnership with VSO Tanzania to implement a project on Improving Sexual and Reproductive Health and Livelihoods of young people in Tanzania through Volunteerism. This project is known as the Million Hour Fund. The goal of the project is to Increase Social and Economic Opportunities for Youth in three regions of Tanzania through Peer Youth Educators with 2 main objectives which are to; improve the livelihoods of young people, especially girls through training on income generating strategies and create awareness on sexual and reproductive health through the use of sports and community theatre. BYC is implementing this project in Dar es Salaam region in its areas of operation, Kiwalani and Buguruni Wards. It is expected that the project will take 3 years.

So far, BYC has 10 peer educators who are currently undergoing training on SRH this week. More trainings on entrepreneurship and business skills and Civic education will follow suit in course of the project implementation. In addition, there will also be motivational seminars and speakers throughout the project to boost the morale and encourage the 100 youth in all sectors of their lives. The 10 peer educators will go on and reach to 100 youth through peer trainings and sports. In addition the 100 youth will reach to more 1000 youth through sports activities such as  BYC football, Netball and Volleyball leagues and a footbal bonanza and regular community theatres.

It is an exciting project and a very huge opportunity for  BYC and the rest of the youth in Dar es Salaam to be self sufficient in income and be aware on SRH and their civic rights.

Keep checking this blogpage and BYC's facebook page for more updates on BYC's Million Hour Fund Project.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Buguruni-Youth-Centre/380110752013937?ref=hl

East Africa Cup 2013!!

Its that time of the year again where our youth gear up for the East Africa Tournament. Just like last year our youth are ready to face yet another exciting journey to Moshi. BYC is taking three football teams this year including U-16 and U-13 boys team and an U-16 girls team. Last year, BYC's U-16 boys team came close to winning the tournament by clinching the 3rd position in the EAC tournament. In addition to the teams, BYC has also sent 8 youth for the referee training of which 2 are female and the rest 6 male. The referees are already in Moshi and as this is their third day at the event. BYC has also sent two youth who will take film and animation trainings, and one field manager. The football teams leave for Moshi tomorrow with their team coaches and are expected to be back by the 30th of June. We wish all the participating teams in the EAC all the best and a thrilling time in Moshi.

For more information about the EAC visit the website at http://www.eacup.org/#

Up-Coming Event: Football Bonanza for Environmental Awareness

BYC has organised a football bonanza to climax our environmental activity and this will take place in Kiwalani tomorrow. Thus by promoting environmental awareness through sports, BYC's U-17 team will play Madingiteni's U-17 team from Tandika. The event will begin at 9.00 a.m in the morning and it will be graced by VSO, BYC, primary schools that participated in the clean up and their teachers and the local government.

Community Clean-Up Day at Buguruni

BYC's youth together with former VSO's ICS volunteers and primary school children on the 10th of May to conduct a clean-up day at Buguruni Chama area. At least a total of 100 people, this including 75 school pupils and 25 others including the BYC's youth, former VSO ICS volunteers and primary school teachers participated in the event.
                           

Prior to the event, a two week environmental awareness sensitisation session had been conducted in the primary schools by BYC youth assisted by the ICS volunteers.

 

Multitude of pupils from the 4 primary schools

The 4 primary schools that participated in this event included Buguruni A and Hekima primary schools from Buguruni ward & Kiwalani and Kigilagila primary schools from Kiwalani ward.

High 5 for the camera!!

 

Cleaning in session

The event started at 2.00 p.m in the afternoon and thankfully it did not rain so everything went as according to plan!

Rehema Chuka, giving out gloves before the pupils embark on cleaning their community

The school pupils and the youth showed a lot of enthusiasm and the teachers of the school were very receptive to the clean up.

 

They all participated fully with vigour in unclogging the drainages and picking up the rubbish around their school compound, the market area and outside people's household.

 

 

 

Pupils picking up rubbish

 

A pupil from Buguruni A primary unclogging a drainage

In addition, BYC developed brochures with  easy waste management messages which were distributed to the community.

BYC youth unclogging the drainages

The community and people from the neighbouring households came out to watch at what the school pupils and the BYC youth were doing and they at large also praised the effort done by BYC in promoting environmental awareness in the area.

One of BYC's youth cleaning up with the students

They also acknowledged that they had been living in a dirty environment and they asked BYC to make the clean up a regular event.

A resident of the area looking on. We hope that next time they will be able to join in the activity.

The event was also graced by two representatives from the Ward office who came to give a word of encouragement for the effort done by BYC.

One of the school teachers and a representative from the Ward office

At the end of the event, BYC distributed two dustbins to each of the schools and they also also gave one to the local government. In addition, brooms and spades were also given to the teachers and pupils to aid in continous cleaning activities in their respective schools.

Juma Malole, Kiwalani's head coach and the rest of BYC youth and ICS volunteers giving out dustbins, brooms and a spade to a pupil

Juma Malole-Kiwalani's head coach giving out a dustbin and brooms to BYC's Rehema Chuka for the sake of BYC office

Rehema Chuka posing with some of the pupils

In the end a spirit of volunteerism and promotion of environmental awareness was definitely borne.

Chui- one of the ICS volunteers posing for a picture with some of the pupils

 

 

We hope that the pupils and the whole community at large will keep the fire burning.

We thank VSO and the ICS volunteers for the support especially Chui, Abraham, Rose and Rhona and BYC youth leadership for making this event successful!!

For more of these pictures, visit our facebook page- Buguruni Youth Centre

VSO ICS volunteers's 'Action at Home' and BYC Youth: Promoting Youth Engagement through Environmental Conservation

4 International Citizen Service volunteers of VSO Tanzania will conduct a 5 day seminar to 10 BYC youth on environmental awareness including topics such as pollution, climate change, waste management; waste sorting and composting. Mostly this activity aims to address in depth issues of waste management. This seminar will take place at BYC's offices in Buguruni and it starts on the 25th to 30th March.

According to Mercer's Quality of living Survey of 2010, Dar es Salaam ranks the 10th among the dirtiest cities in the world with a Health and Sanitation index Score of 40.4. The list of dirtiest cities is based on levels of air pollution, waste management, water portability, hospital services, medical supplies and the presence of infectious diseases.

Waste disposal is the greatest problem prevalent in Tanzania community and this is true to Buguruni Community. There are hardly any dust bins or areas for waste disposal so most of the litter usually ends up on the road side or places where it attracts pests and water borne diseases such as cholera. Through environmental education, there is a high chance of behavioral and attitude change towards waste management and a possible avenue for wealth creation through waste sorting and composting.

Thus the aim of this seminar is to encourage and put youth in the lead in preventing environmental problems such as waste disposal that the Buguruni community encounters and also to take advantage of decomposable waste by making compost which can be a commodity that can be sold to urban gardeners in Dar es Salaam. The awareness is not only limited to the BYC youth but will also target Buguruni and Kiwalani primary school pupils, their teachers and the Buguruni and Kiwalani communities. Following the seminar, the 10 BYC youth will create awareness to the aforementioned primary schools where it is expected that they will assist the pupils to create environmental clubs. These clubs will spearhead debates and clean up events as part of environmental conservation in their communities.

The Climax of the environmental awareness will later target the wider community including local leaders and citizens where there will be a clean-up day, which will be followed by a football bonanza. BYC will also provide dust-bins within Buguruni and Kiwalani communities.

BYC is very excited to work in this project which has been funded by VSO Tanzania and it is an initiative that will create a long-term impact in the two communities and their youth on environmental conservation.

Through BYC's environmental program in the past, the youth have been able to participate in cleaning the community through unclogging drainage systems. This has built an equal measure of environmental awareness among BYC youth. Thus through this project, there will be more sensitization of the community on importance of proper waste management.