Mkombozi, meaning “liberator or emancipator” in Swahili, works to stem the tide of Tanzania’s street children through a holistic programme of protection services, research and campaigning.
Mkombozi challenges the government and citizens to wake up to the startling fact that over 50% of Tanzania’s population is under 19.
Founded in 1997 at the request of youths in desperate need, the organisation works to end the abuse and neglect of children, ensure their dignity and rights are respected, and identify opportunities for action before a child migrates to the street.
Programming is designed in response to the acute urgency of the situation and interventions are tailored to the needs of each child.
Mkombozi’s activities for street youth include a mobile school focusing on numeracy and literacy to build self-esteem and life skills, an entrepreneurship programme, and business skills development in which they receive financing and mentoring to start their own businesses and are partnered with mentors. Other activities include the Affordable Computers and Technology for Tanzania (ACTT) and a technology programme, which establishes IT labs in schools across the country, as well as for the children in Mkombozi’s care.
Approximately 780 children benefit directly from these services each year, with the impact reaching far wider through the training of public servants in child protection, lobbying for legal reform to domesticate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and raising awareness across the country.
These tireless efforts to drive long-term change in favour of children’s rights and well-being ensure that Mkombozi is at the forefront of a powerful movement to invest in, listen to and protect young people.
Mkombozi was selected as the recipient of the 2008 STARS Impact Award (http://www.starsfoundation.org.uk/impact-awards/) in the category of Protection.
The Awards are given by the STARS Foundation (www.starsfoundation.org.uk), a London-based charitable foundation which works to improve the lives of disadvantaged children around the world. The STARS Impact Awards recognise organisations committed to achieving excellence in the provision of Health, Education and Protection services to disadvantaged children, and encourage the replication of effective approaches and practices. Each Award recipient receives US$100,000 in unrestricted funding as well as consultancy support.
The hallmarks of Mkombozi’s work are flexibility, innovation and governance, and it is these strengths that convinced the STARS Foundation to select this inspirational organisation for an Impact Award.
Flexibility is evident throughout Mkombozi’s operations. This can be seen from their proactive response to the gap in facilities available for street children, to their readiness to shape interventions to suit each child, their assessment of whether their programmes are delivering results – and their ability to change direction if not. Mkombozi's new Mentoring and Fostering programme was developed as a result of participatory research, prompting the community to take more responsibility for its children. This is a service-oriented, mission-driven organisation that demands excellence and delivers on its promises.
Innovation is clearly seen in Mkombozi's creative use of technology and ICT to achieve its objectives, broaden its impact, and cut costs. The power of the internet has been effectively harnessed to meet advocacy and fundraising goals, as well as networking with and training other organisations across Africa. Mkombozi is also committed to empowering street children with ICT IT skills, and demonstrates the very tangible benefits of this approach by employing and training some of these children at its Affordable Computers & Technology for Tanzania (ACTT) centre.
Governance makes the difference between an organisation with vision and an organisation with real impact, and Mkombozi – which focuses strongly on results-based management and accountability to its stakeholders – is a case in point. Effective monitoring systems enable Mkombozi to research societal shifts, gather feedback from stakeholders and collectively revise programming. Careful management of budgets and financial reports also aids stability, building trust with donors and other partners. Such effective governance finance and administration, and overall insistence on professionalism and efficiency, sets Mkombozi apart as a standard for other NGOs to aspire to.
Mkombozi intends to use part of the Impact Award to advance its 50% Campaign to spark national awareness on the need for legal reform, juvenile justice and child rights in Tanzania. The purpose of the campaign is to encourage a positive shift in attitudes toward children in general and street children in particular. The STARS Impact Award will contribute to strengthening this powerful educational advocacy tool.
The media is a critical ally in getting issues out in the open and combating prejudice. The Award will go towards broadcasting a groundbreaking series of radio programmes as part of the 50% Campaign, which will feature young people interviewing influential public figures about the hardships that children face and will challenge the government to better prioritise their needs. The children will not only chair the discussions but will actually produce the episodes, acquiring important skills and confidence in the process.
The positive change which Mkombozi hopes to generate using the Impact Award encompasses legal reform to uphold the best interests of Tanzania’s children, increased sensitivity on the part of the public, the police, magistrates and others about the appropriate treatment of street youth, and more positive language used about street children in media and government communications.
Mkombozi is proud of its role in facilitating children to campaign on behalf of themselves. The Impact Award will help challenge assumptions about children’s capacity, hold adults to account to answer children’s questions, and demonstrate their skills, insight and potential.
