We established strong partnerships with the Nature Reserves government authorities (Tanzania Forest Service Agency (TFS), as well as with the Department of Natural Resources and Tourism and Youth Development. They provide continuous support, whether it is the use of a vehicle, the delivery of permits, recommendation letters, or waive camping fees to our team and skills.
We also maintain good partnerships with local communities, who propose new activities, and new camping sites to extend the eco-tourism offer and support in installations of sign boards. EAMCEF provided funding $10,000 to support ecological and cultural tourism by empowering the Choma community found adjacent to the Uluguru mountains. Nafasi Art Space provided training in developing art program and fund $1000.
Report and continuous activities updates sharing with stakeholders.
Updating about and involving others in our work and cooperating with our partners have improved and shaped positive impact to our communities. For example they have formed an ecotourism group called Choma ecotourism group to manage ecological and cultural tourism development.
Our work involves self-motivation and self-financing. TEG team determination to support the conservation of biodiversity and empowerment of youth living adjacent to nature reserves includes organizing online exhibitions and online behaviour change campaigns. With or without external support, TEG staff have volunteerly engaged with donors, government officials, and communities in designing the program, fundraising, and implementing it.
TEG founders and Alumni internal support in skills development trainings, in conducting baseline surveys and reflections on issues relating to conservation, in connecting with stakeholders, and financing of some of the activities.
As a youth organization we have been growing by first willing to invest in ourselves, in our credibility and capability before attaching donors and partners. TEG Team and TEG alumni’s determination was our only asset to do that.
Final selection of words and terms for seagrass in Creole
SeyCCAT
The Creole Language Academy is the authorised body to approve new words into the Creole language. Officially, the collaboration with them was essential to elgitimise the exercise and to obtain official new words and terms for seagrass. On the other hand, the Academy's input was essential in ensuring that the cultural element of the naming process was maintained.
Transparency was a key element in the process to ensure everyone was kept in the know of any developments. A committee of linguists, conservationists and scientists was created to filter findings from the public before submission to the Academy.
To introduce a new word into a language, there's firstly an official process which needs to be followed. It is important to identify all the steps and actors which play a role in this exercise. The Committee which was set up was important in adding legitimacy and support to the process - all key players had to feel that they were involved and that was a good way to get them to collaborate and exhange ideas. This also faciliated the work of the Academy as the words and terms which were submitted had been well thought out.
A nation-wide survey was carried out to reach different groups of the general public. The survey served two functions, 1. to gather information and 2. to engage people to understand what the exercise was about and to raise awareness on seagrass. Survey could be accessed on line via the website but was promoted on the radio, print media and social media.
Awareness of the survey was important as was adding images in the survey document to make it friendly and also fun.
Print copies of the survey were used to access the fishing community. District administrators were engaged to facililtate the process as they knew members of their dictricts more intimately.
If is wasn't for Covid-19 restrictions, the project would have solicitated the help of university students to reach more members of the fishing community.
