Dodoma - In a bid to reach the vulnerable populations and underserved communities with healthcare services, WHO, with funding from the Canadian government, is supporting the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups to conduct a National NGO digital mapping. The first phase of the exercise entails the design, development and deployment of a web based digital platform to map all existing NGOs operating in Tanzania mainland.

Speaking at the validation meeting with various stakeholders including representatives across all ministries, the Registrar of NGOs in Tanzania Mainland, Vickness Mayo,  highlighted the importance of the exercise.  “The proposed digital mapping tool will be a one-stop web application system to access information on all NGOs operating in Tanzania. This will include evaluation and categorization of NGOs by thematic area, size, financial capacity, donors, collaborators, operational age, targeting sector, priorities and societal impact,” said Mayo.  

This Initiative presents a unique opportunity to identify and bring together organizations across a wide range of sectors and disciplines who have an interest and a responsibility to reach and serve communities.

The Registrar of Civil Societies, Ministry of Home Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Kihampa affirmed that the  platform is useful to all sectors. “The analytical capacity of the platform is useful as it will enable us identify gaps and key areas of improvement for our sector.”

The platform will generate two main outputs: a comprehensive database and an analytical report. Detailed data on CSO work will be contained in the database in the form of lists, maps, and interactive charts. Once complete, interested parties such as Individuals, donors, international NGOs, or CSOs will be able to easily identify and analyze the civil society landscape, identify potential partnerships and design support programmes.

“These efforts will facilitate identification of active CSOs and will enable effective engagement between CSOs and other stakeholders in Tanzania, with the aim of allowing all the various civil society stakeholders to better understand the organizational environment they operate to develop more suitable policies.

While more than 12,000 NGOs are registered at the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, there is lack of clarity on the location, scope, area of work, experience and impact population, hence collaboration with and engagement of these groups has not been optimal, with duplication of efforts in some areas, while some other areas remain unreached with the services provided by these organizations.

In Tanzania, the Civil Society has played a crucial role in improving livelihoods, promoting local economic development, and helping to resolve the health-related challenges of local communities. The Civil Society (Community Based Organizations, Faith Based Organizations and Local Non-Governmental Organizations) have a strong footprint in the communities they serve, and an understanding of contextual peculiarities at the most nuanced and localized level.

These organizations are often well positioned to generate demand for a wide range of health interventions such as Immunization, HIV and TB services; and have capacity to address misinformation and hesitancy - including overcoming gender-related barriers. Many of the leaders, staff and volunteers that make up these organizations are also from the community, so their local knowledge and networks helps to ensure that solutions are truly community-owned.