CIVIC EDUCATION TO WOMEN AND YOUTH - "WOMEN AND YOUTH POWER"

Civic education and awareness has the nature of liberating people.  It has the capacity to create informed, empowered and responsible citizens who contribute towards sustainable development in their communities, beyond citizens who are just passive subjects of the state. In light of this, government of Tanzania through its various endeavours has been providing Civic Education to citizens to enhance their competence and opportunity to participate meaningfully and responsibly in self-governance. Tanzania as it is in many African countries under the democratic system of governance hasn't done enough in provision of civic education and democratic governance to youth-girls and women. For instance in 2015 during general election we witnessed number of youth and women making decision in choosing their political leaders just because of gifts and fake promises. Not only that also many women voted due to influence from their husbands and not because of their will. This isn't acceptable when the issue of development and forcing political leaders accountable comes. The experience also shows that Civic education in Tanzania has been provided during the closest months to general election and sometimes being interfered or restricted by campaign process and therefore to be inadequately provided or unable to reach all voters. The concept now insist this education and awareness to be provided at least within two years before the election so as to reach majority youth and women with voting age and create enough awareness.

However, According to the current study on Youth and women participation in public matters (2017) by DHWYT in some of Tanzania districts like Tandahimba, Liwale, Lindi and Mtwara, it was discovered that this kind of civic awareness is neither constantly provided nor reaching the majority citizens especially the youth and women who form 75 percentage of the population. Many times, this Civic education and awareness on political participation is only conducted by a few CSOs and NGOs during periods of general elections as opposed to this being a systematic and continuous process. And the study again shown that to every 10 youth and women, only 2 have at least little civic awareness and 8 haven't.

Therefore, civic education and awareness of political participation in Tanzania has not been accorded the importance it deserves in building the civic competence and removing exploitation among women and youth groups, evoking an active citizenry and entrenching the democratic culture. That being the case many people and especially youth and women remain in the peripheral when it comes to participation, involvement in the political, governance and electoral processes in their immediate communities and the country at large. There is no evidence that they have had any influence on these processes. DHWYT in this intervention intends to raise political and civic awareness and conduct voters’ education among women and youth so that they are able to effectively and meaningfully engage in political, governance and electoral processes in their communities, and hold the government accountable in terms of service delivery. Another discouraging experience an example from Mtwara and Tandahimba is that majority who are women and youth neither attend the campaign to listen their candidates nor appear to vote for them. This can only be addressed through creating awareness on political and civic education to Youth and women and engage in advocacy platform with duty barriers to see the importance of this kind of awareness to these social groups.   

At DHWYT we recognize that Political awareness and Civic education must be provided regularly to the majority Youth and women so that they are able to exercise their civic rights, roles, and responsibilities. This way they are able to contribute towards the sustainable development they wish to see in their communities and the country at large .We also appreciate that while the women and youth-girls have been marginalized for a long time, the youth in particular form a young, representative, vibrant constituency that makes the core voting age. They are available, they are evenly distributed, and they have the energy and constitute a formidable game changer when it comes to governance and electoral issues. Once well organized, well mobilized, and their advocacy knowledge on good governance, political participation and electoral process is sharpened can form the back born of the needed change in their communities. These groups once empowered with information will be able to demand their participation, hold duty bearers into account and contribute towards government leadership that delivers services to the people inform of job creation, infrastructure development, quality healthcare and education.