The Thin Red Line

Pemba, a predominantly Islamic East African island in the Indian Ocean coast of Tanzania a thin red line exists between the men and women.   A line though thin is an obstacle that hinders the context of development and equality.  A line that is difficult to break, woven by culture and religion that serves as the fiber that is difficult to break.   However, the thin red line can be cross through education. For this past few years, Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO) volunteers and the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MOEVT) is very keen in their partnership to   break the unbreakable line by doing gender mainstreaming.  Last November 2011 the gender mainstreaming program of VSO and the MOEVT step a little higher in their quest from their previous works in gender mainstreaming.

This time thirty participants mostly compose of head teachers, school administrators, and teacher leaders converge in Miti Ulaya Teachers Resource Training Center from   the different parts of the Wete District to identify the existing concerns on how to advance gender mainstreaming from the classroom to the school level.    The VSO Tanzania Gender and National Volunteering Coordinator, Imisa Nashitsakha helps steer the oar in navigating the two days training   in order for the participants to understand better the concept of gender mainstreaming in the African context of education.   Also the expertise of Les Fry ( VSO U.K. Volunteer )  in school leadership and management and the author (VSO Bahaginan  Volunteer)  sharing his knowledge  in  integrating gender mainstreaming in teaching   ushered the school administrators and teachers to create the own action plans in their respective school on how to address the gender issues in t own school. The office of the  District  Education  Officer  of Wete  headed by the  dynamic  Bi Fatma Mgeni   and  the Coordinator of Miti Ulaya Teachers Resource Center  (TRC)  Mr. Ali Kombo Ali  commit to ensure  that this action plans  will be implemented  in the schools. As more school leaders and teachers   from the other parts of Wete district were not able to attend the previous training, the Resource Center will be having another training, this time this is financially supported by the MOEVT and the TRC I order for the remaining schools to make their own action plan on how to integrate it in their   school management plan.  Another positive impact of the VSO sponsored gender mainstreaming training program, the head mistress of Miti Ulaya, Bi Sabahi will pilot the creation of the students Gender Mainstreaming Club.  She hopes that this will serve   as model for others schools to starts their own Gender Mainstreaming Clubs too.  As the schools in Wete try to navigate to cut the unbreakable thin red line, VSO Volunteers will continue to assist them to totally erase the durable line that hinders development in Pemba Island.

The challenge is still there  for us here  on how  to sustain what we have started, Les  Fry  will continue to help the school leaders to make and implement their school action  plans,  the blogger  will continue to encourage  and share on how to integrate gender mainstreaming  in teaching  techniques and  providing support  in the creation of  Gender Clubs,  and  the  head teachers  in  motivating their students and  teachers . The Ministry and VSO Tanzania to help in providing the resources and leadership, then we will cross the thin red line of gender mainstreaming in education here in Pemba.

¹The   VSO Pemba Gender Mainstreaming Report 2011 -2012, Pemba Island, United Republic of

                Tanzania

² Pemba   Island VSO Volunteers   Regional and Gender /HIV –AIDS representative