Your donation will help VSO train and support disadvantaged people and improve income generating opportunities in some of the poorest communities in Tanzania and Malawi, helping them to make the local markets work for, not against, them.
VSO’s work in Tanzania
The Zanzibar Islands are rich in natural assets and the tourist industry is growing at 8-10% per annum. Despite this growth 49% of Zanzibaris live below the basic needs poverty line and almost a third of all children are under-nourished. The poor currently receive few benefits from tourism because their linkages with the sector are weak; only a small proportion of commodities consumed are sourced locally and the poor tend to be excluded from markets.
VSO Tanzania is striving to address this inequitable situation and has been supported by Accenture since October 2006 to "make markets work for the poor" as part of Accenture's funding of VSO as their Secure Livelihoods Goal Champion. Tanzania was designated as a Flagship Programme, receiving funding to lead on the implementation of VSO's Secure Livelihoods approaches. Examples of success of the approach include:
- Fundu Lagoon Hotel on Pemba providing a farmers' group with land, water and credit in exchange for high quality fresh vegetables.
- Fishers in Uroa village were assisted in providing an ecotourism package to hotel guests including village tours, boat trips, fishing and snorkeling.
The projects have been an encouraging start, and VSO Tanzania now wish to upscale activity to improve the lives of a significantly larger number of Zanzibaris. VSO Tanzania is seeking financial support from Accenture's Retired Partners to maximize benefits of this approach for the poor and take forward the project beyond the Accenture Global Foundation grant which expires in July 2008. For an annual budget of 150,000 GBP VSO Tanzania can launch a broader programme that will be able to support similar development in the following activities in the first year of operation:
- Improving the connections and potential for income generation from agriculture and fisheries to tourism and other high-end markets, through the sponsorship of volunteer placements, funding and training.
- Promotion of environmentally sustainable and socially responsible tourism as a source of income for poor Zanzibaris through courses, field visits and collaboration with Zanzibar tourism organizations.
VSO’s work in Malawi
Malawi is a landlocked agricultural nation in which 45% of the population live in poverty (17% in extreme poverty). The national economy depends on five main agricultural export commodities, yet there is a chronically undernourished population of largely subsistence farmers who face barriers preventing their full participation in the agricultural produce market.
VSO Malawi was designated as the second of three Accenture funded Flagship Programmes and received funding from the Accenture Global Foundation in 2007. Using the same approach to make markets work for the poor, the programme, still in its early stages, is focusing on the accessibility of the dairy market. Examples of early successes are:
- Milk price increases have been negotiated in the central region from MWK26.50 to MWK40 per litre.
- Farmers new to dairying have made dramatic progress in income in the range of MWK150,000 per year (US$2.9 per day – effectively lifting them above the poverty threshold) and the rise in milk price has created an increase of about MWK54,000 (US$380) in annual income for those who already had cows.
The dairy sector is however just one market sector and the impact will therefore be limited to those involved in this activity. VSO Malawi requires a further 150,000 GBP to launch the approach in three more value chain sectors; citrus farming, organic production and the smallholder tea subsector. By extending the approach to these sectors considerably more farmers will be empowered to access their markets in a more informed way. This will help to ensure they receive the true value of their produce and alleviate poverty for themselves and their families.
