Women and Children

 

 

Introduction

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) in recognition of the women space in the Church, created a Women’s Desk in 1979. The first Women Secretary was Ms Janet Luvanda. After ELCT restructuring the Women’s Desk was renamed as the Directorate of Women and Children Programs under the Department of Social Services and Women. Creation of Women’s Desk at national level helped dioceses to create Diocesan Women’s coordination Desks.

The Directorate runs several programs for Women, Gender and Children as follows:

Basing on this reality, ELCT designed the Gender Justice Program to address this problem in the 15 dioceses of ELCT: Iringa, Southern, South Central, South Eastern, Lake Tanganyika, Ulanga Kilombero, Konde, Ruvuma, South Western, Dodoma, West Central, Morogoro, Eastern and Coastal, North Eastern and Meru dioceses. The program was designed to be delivered through the church structure in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders including government authorities. The program was funded by the Act Church of Sweden and implemented in first term for three years (2018-2020) in Lake Tanganyika, Southern Diocese, South Central, South Eastern, Iringa, Ruvuma, Konde, Dodoma, South Western, Ulanga Kilombero, Morogoro, North Eastern, West Central, Meru, East and Coastal Dioceses. The ultimate goal of the program was to Correct gender imbalances by strengthening Gender Equality and Justice among herself and the society by 2020 as per ELCT Strategic Plan 2015 – 2025 and at the outcome level the program aimed at social economic and political change to gender power relations and gender equality by the end of 2020. The program use participatory (community centered) approach and stakeholders involvement strategy in the implementation process.

The second term will be in the period of (2021-2023) which will cover the five dioceses with highly prevalence rate of gender-based violence according to the program evaluation findings of the first term. The five categorized dioceses are West Central, Morogoro, Iringa, Lake Tanganyika and Ruvuma.

Other Programs

  1. Women empowerment programs – The program which is intended to enhance Women capacity, leadership and management skills in all spheres of life i.e politically, economically, socially, technologically, environmentally and legally. The Program is implemented inline with the ELCT gender justice program and the related projects at the dioceses.
  2. Sunday School Program for Children- done once every year
  3. World Day of Prayers- the prayers are done once every year
  4. ELCT Women Centre in Bahi Dodoma. We have started with the small goat project in the area
  5. Women theologians’ consultation
  6. Core programs for women’s work and children programs

Core programs for Women’ Work

WOMEN’S RELATIONS WITH OTHER DEVELOPMENT STAKEHOLDERS

The directorate unites the women of KKKT and other women in other parts of the world as well as various stakeholders of women’s development in order to improve the efficiency and sustainable development of women and the whole society. Women work in partnership with women to eliminate differences that can harm the church and society.

  • Conducting Women’ Council once a year (every February)
  • Conducting Women’s General Assembly once every four years
  • Preparing Sunday School Teaching Program every year
  • Preparing World Day Prayers for every year