Photo essay: Meet the community leaders breaking cycles of harm in Tanzania

Leading this change are Kungwi – women who work as traditional teachers of gendered topics who guide young women through cultural rites of passage related to marriage, sexuality and domestic responsibility. Once considered to be reinforcing outdated practices, Kungwi like Saida (below) are now reshaping their roles as community leaders and advocating for gender equality.

For generations, unyago – initiation rites for girls – have marked the transition from childhood to adulthood. But as Saida recalls, these often included outdated, harmful and oppressive practices that led to consequences like early marriage and pregnancy.

“There were lessons completely inappropriate for their age. For example, children under eight were taught lessons about marriage.”

With support from Faidika Wote Pamoja (FAWOPA), a local organisation whose name means “benefit all together” in Swahili, Saida and other Kungwi learned how to transform unyago into a safer, educational process focused on health and empowerment.

AKF’s work with FAWOPA and Kungwi women is one example of AKF’s Human-Centred Design (HCD) approach, a process of learning, co-creation and partnership. By helping Kungwi identify their own solutions to issues faced by adolescents in their community, solutions are more innovative, relevant and impactful – like adjusting teachings during unyago instead of dismissing this culturally-significant practice.

“We provide education on how to manage puberty, safe menstrual practices and explain the dangers of teenage pregnancy,” says Saida. “We focus on helping children grow in the right direction and to learn well.”

Saida and other Kungwi also began assessing and monitoring initiation rites, ensuring that other Kungwi tailored their teachings to be age-appropriate.

“After the training, the first step was to abandon oppressive practices… We made a plan that initiation should start at a later age,” says Saida.

They also worked with parents and guardians to educate them about gender equality topics and encourage them to become more involved in their children’s well-being.

“We teach parents about gender-based violence, how it happens, and how we can support [survivors],” says Salima (above), who works as a Kungwi in Msangamkuu, a small community in Mtwara. “Parents are also now contributing food for children in schools [so they have nutritious meals].”

17-year-old Rehema is part of a school club that Kungwi are regularly invited to facilitate. At these sessions, Rehema has learned about topics like puberty and menstrual health.

“One day, we sat together and we were telling each other stories,” says Rehema. “One challenge [we discussed], a big one, especially while at school, is water… Especially during the days when someone is on her period, there is also [even more] need for water. Sometimes there is no water, and it creates very difficult conditions.”

As a community leader with deep roots in the local culture, Saida recognises that her role as a Kungwi means that she can be a positive mentor for youth.

“Once [children and adolescents] know that you are an educator and an advocate for them, they feel free and ready to come and talk to you,” says Saida. “These trainings [at school] are helping many girls to grow and help them recognise and pursue their rights and protect them.”

For Saida, this work is deeply personal.

For Salima, she hopes her work will mean brighter futures for the girls in her community.

This story is part of the Advancing Gender Equality through Civil Society (AGECS) component of the Foundations for Education and Empowerment (F4EE) programme, funded by Global Affairs Canada. AGECS partners with local civil society organisations to address sociocultural barriers to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Photo credit: Rich Townsend / AKF