Hope for Girls and Women has safe houses for girls escaping FGM, GBV,  child marriage, abuse and rape, in Mugumu (Serengeti) and Butiama, near Musoma. Across these safe houses, many of the girls actively participate in remote Yoga lessons over Zoom run by our friends My Little Zen. My Little Zen is an organisation which combines yoga and technology in an aim to connect communities in Africa. They use a fusion of Karma Yoga which focuses on compassion and selfless actions and Hatha Yoga which centres on keeping the mind and body strong. What are the Benefits of Yoga? Yoga has ..read more

The Hope for Girls and Women (HFGAW) team has been involved in a number of key initiatives in recent days as we commemorate 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).  In Mugumu, Serengeti, we visited Mapindusu Secondary school, where girls from Hope for Girls and Women spoke about their experiences with GBV and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Through school visits like this we aim to educate and empower schoolgirls and ensure schoolboys are aware of the importance of rejecting gender stereotypes and discrimination. The visit was a collaborative session between HFG ..read more

The Hope for Girls and Women (HFGAW) team has been involved in a number of key initiatives in recent days as we commemorate 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).  In Mugumu, Serengeti, we visited Mapindusu Secondary school, where girls from Hope for Girls and Women spoke about their experiences with GBV and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Through school visits like this we aim to educate and empower schoolgirls and ensure schoolboys are aware of the importance of rejecting gender stereotypes and discrimination. The visit was a collaborative session between HFG ..read more

In August 2022, there will be a national Census, also known locally as a Sensa, in Tanzania during which time there will be school and business closures throughout the country in order to facilitate data being captured.  According to Dar Portal, the Census 2022 will be the Sixth Census to be held in the country after the Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964. Others took place in 1967, 1978, 1988, 2002 and 2012. What is the impact of the Sensa / Census in Tanzania on children?​ Throughout the month of August and even beyond, there will be school closures, this will be longer than i ..read more

Hope for Girls and Women’s Founder and Director, Rhobi Samwelly, has been selected by France’s President Macron for a prestigious Marianne Human Rights Defenders Award. Rhobi will travel to Paris, France, in February with the awards ceremony taking place in March 2022. The Marianne initiative for Human Rights Defenders was launched in December 2021 and will provide collaborative support and resources to help those involved do more and do better. As stated in the launch announcement in December; The initiative’s international pillar will support on the ground those committed in their count ..read more

Between November 25th and December 30th 2021, Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania worked with the Serengeti District Office (District Community Development Officer, District Social Welfare) and Gender Desk Police Officers to create awareness of FGM and GBV, through meetings, roadshows and village outreach. These sessions were organised to bring awareness to Mugumu-Serengeti villages such as Itununu, Rung’abure, Manyata, Gesarya, Kebanchabancha, Gwikongo, Merenga, Tamkeri, Mbilikiri, and Bisarara, which have been identified as having a high number of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases recent ..read more

Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania is among seven organisations that have be awarded an Open Map Development Tanzania (OMDTZ) Community Impact Microgrant of $5,000. OMDTZ selected recipient organisations with the intention; The grants provided will support these communities to leverage the use of OSM and mapping to help solve different community challenges. Mapping is playing a key role in our fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and the empowerment of Tanzanian women as remote villages are made more accessible to authorities. Hope will use the gran ..read more

By Herry Kasunga In June, Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania and Masanga Center recruited 59 Digital champions in Butiama District, Tanzania. Each village has one Digital Champion who will educate girls and women in their communities about the impact of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The Digital Champions were given smartphones, with access to apps to support their work to promote gender equality in their communities. The phone apps include: ODK for reporting GBV cases happening in their villages, this data is then submitted to Hope and Gender Desk Police for ..read more

The Hope team recently organised a gathering for women and girls in Serengeti and Butiama, Tanzania, to learn important skills to help them generate income. The entrepreneurship training included the sharing of information on how to work economically, ensuring a profit can be made from their industry of choice. We tasked the women with identifying a business initiative that they wanted to explore in more detail, and we helped them to plan out how best to make this venture a success. Support in numbers can be important for a new business, with different skill sets and strengths coming toget ..read more

On the weekend of 29th and 30th May 2021, the Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania team collaborated with Grumeti Fund to provide empowerment sessions for local school girls in the Serengeti District. On Saturday, 288 girls at Chamriho Secondary School were invited to take part. Amina, who has stayed with Hope, bravely told her story to the girls gathered. This was an opportunity to inspire other girls and encourage them to seek help if they know that plans are being made by their family to have them cut. Amina has been able to reside at a Hope Safe House away from her family home, and acted ..read more