2022 ANNUAL REPORT
Diversity is a fact, Inclusion is an ACT!
A Message from the Executive Director
Dear everyone!
Happy New Year to you! I’d like to begin this brief report by thanking everyone who has supported the Songambele Initiative Organization, both this last year and every year before. Also, many thanks to our partners as we wouldn’t have been able to do anything without all your generous support. Looking Ahead to a Year of Opportunity and Hope,
Faustina J. Urassa
Executive Director
CONGRATULATIONS!!
Gender-Based Violence Champion Survivor Impact Award Winer 2022
We are proud to announce our Executive Director, Ms. Faustina Urassa, was honored with this prestigious award from the WILDAF Organization for her efforts in leading the Songambele Initiative. By winning this award she has proven that disability is not inability and sets a fine example for many people who may have given up on their dreams as a result of disability. The Songambele Initiative has been greatly humbled by this honor, and our passion has been stirred further to keep fighting for the rights of marginalized groups in society.
Ms.Faustina received her GBV Champion Survivor with Impact award.
FINDING LIFE.
There is life with an appropriate wheelchair
Meet Elibariki from Kilimanjaro, who once had a great quality of life with a close family and many friends. When he was 12 years old, he collapsed suddenly due to body inflammation. After experimenting with both
traditional and modern medicine, there seemed to be no cure for his condition. Now 27 years old, Elibariki’s illness is still unexplained, and his body remains weak and dysfunctional. This illness has kept him bedridden for the last 15 years, causing his Father to abandon him while losing all of his friends. All of which have caused Elibariki a great deal of pain and heartbreak. In October, the Songambele Initiative had a live session on local radio, where we disclosed our office phone number for people in need to reach out to us with their problems. Elibariki called immediately, asking to meet with us. Despite his rural location, we made every effort to arrange a visit with him. At our meeting with Elibariki, we asked what we could do for him. His response was, “I want a wheelchair so that I can get out and see the light. Even the maize can’t grow well if you plant it inside.” Elibariki’s life has changed for the better with the wheelchair we provided for him. We have made his dreams come true by helping him go outside and see the light of the world, both figuratively and literally
Elibariki happy on his new wheels.
Our Programs
DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SPORT
The Songambele Initiative believes that involvement in sports increases self-esteem, encourages independence, and enhances the quality of life. By creating a friendly learning environment through sports, we can facilitate communicating information and creating awareness on disability-related issues, gender discrimination, social inclusion for all, human rights, gender-based violence, and early marriage. This past year we received permission to reach out to a total of 11 different primary schools, and 1 secondary school, in the area. A total of 3,246 students participated in our Development through Sports events implemented at these schools.
Sports for inclusion activities in schools with children.
Sports were also a vital tool for our group sessions conducted at KCMC with the Male Pre-Discharged inpatients. While participating in sports, the Inpatients felt comfortable opening up and sharing how they felt about the new life ahead of them with SCIs. A total of 46 inpatients were reached.
Participating in mentally engaging games with patients at KCMC.
ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY AWARENESS
This year, the Songambele Initiative has been actively involved in both international and local events. We attended these events with the purpose of raising awareness about the importance of how communities can collaborate to make positive changes for people with disabilities. Furthermore, these events can also potentially identify individuals suffering from disabilities that we can assist in leading productive lives through our varied programs. This year we attended the following events: The Kili Marathon, where we reached out to more than 10,000 people from all around the world, International Women’s Day, celebrated with more than 300 people in attendance, Menstruation Hygiene Day, celebrated at three different primary schools, reaching 520 people, African Child Day, celebrated with more than 600 people in attendance, International Spinal Cord Injury Day celebrated with more than 1,000 people in attendance, International Youth day, celebrated with more than 500 people in attendance, International Mental Health Day, celebrated with more than 800 people in attendance, International Day of the Girl Child, celebrated with more than 600 people in attendance International Women Human Rights Defenders Day with more than 500 people in attendance.
PROVISION OF ASSISTIVE DEVICES
For our Beneficiaries, a wheelchair means so much more than just mobility. For some, it allows them to go back to school. For others, it offers the chance to return to work or even their families. At the Songambele Initiative, we say that everyone deserves to have access to equal opportunities and live an independent and fulfilling life. This year we donated a total of 33 wheelchairs to beneficiaries (10 female and 23 male). While many of these wheelchairs went to those simply without and desperately in need of one, there were 3 wheelchairs donated to children who were about to drop out of school. As they had grown to the point where their mothers were unable to carry them to school each day, they can now continue their education with the wheelchairs they received.
Kids on their first day of school after being provided with new appropriate wheelchairs.
ADVOCACY AND COMMUNITY AWARENESS
In addition to these events, we also partnered with Sri Gurdwara Sahib Moshi to assist with a rural community outreach program that provided clothing and blankets to 160 people in need. As a part of another outreach program, the Songambele Initiative was able to organize a training session with teachers from 5 different primary schools in the Moshi Rural District. This training focused on how to identify children with disabilities, and how to create a conducive learning environment where children with disabilities would not feel excluded. A total of 52 teachers participated in this training session.
Touching communities through charity with the Sikh community in Moshi.
CAPACITY BUILDING
As our Staff and Peer Supporters work with different people from numerous styles of life, expanding their knowledge regarding our work is crucial. Improving several skills was our focus this year, including Wheelchair Usage, Stress Management, Proper Communication Report Writing, Data Keeping, Monitoring, and Evaluation Styles. Other General Disability Issues Our training sessions included 96 participants from our Staff, Peer Supporters, and family members. This year we also had several opportunities to broaden our skillset in maintaining and expanding the Songambele Initiative. Members of our organization were sent to attend training seminars hosted both locally and internationally.
At the Wellbeing Summit in Bilbao, Spain, our Executive Director took to learning more about affecting positive systematic changes in our communities through collective action. Our Executive Director was also chosen to attend the East Africa Human Right Program. The program focused on acquiring advocacy skills for changing relevant local laws, policies, and deep-rooted cultural practices that are harmful to women, girls, and people with disabilities.
Our CEO at the Wellbeing summit in Bilbao, Spain.
At the International Organization Networking Workshop in Rwanda, our Communication Manager became a certified Empowerment through Self-Defense Instructor. self-defense techniques learned were aimed at violence prevention and violence Interruption. These techniques can be passed on to beneficiaries and other vulnerable groups within our community.
A workshop prepared by the EASUN Center for Organization Learning was attended by one of our Communication Officers. The main focus of this workshop was how to effectively establish, maintain, and operate networks of NGOs and other supportive partners.
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Back to school
At the Songambele Initiative, our work does not end even after we have identified and assisted beneficiaries. We continue to follow up with those we have supported and continue to offer assistance where we can. This year, we followed up with 12 existing Beneficiaries (4 Female and (8Male). In these follow-up visits, we check in with our Beneficiaries to see how their lives have Improved. We are happy to report that some of the children among these beneficiaries have resumed school.
Another of our partner organizations, the Segal Family Foundation also met with our staff to see what we have accomplished this past year. After a review of our accomplishments, they requested to visit with some of our beneficiaries. to see firsthand how our programs have positively impacted their lives. Right: Melvin with her mother when we visited. them with the Children Light Foundation. Songambele Initiative Annual General Meeting At our Annual General Meeting, we shared with our partners all of our achievements from this past year, as well as our goals and challenges moving forward into 2023. A total of 85 people attended this meeting, including Government Officials, Health Workers, Teachers, and some of our Beneficiaries.
A representative from the Upendo Children's Light Foundation, who accompanied us on a home visit has also offered sponsorship to one of our Beneficiary’s sons, effectively covering all of his school expenses, so that he may resume his education
SUCCESS STORIES
To close out our report for 2022, we have also included additional testimonials from people whose lives have been impacted by our programs. In the coming 2023 year, we hope we can reach even more individuals than we did in 2022, and assist them to positively Move Forward with their lives “I feel more alive, valued, and happy when I am at peer-to-peer group discussion than when I was spending time alone and depressed. I used to think negatively about people and life in general, but after attending several group discussions, I can now interact with people and I am learning how to be independent and how to take care of myself. I feel so special now.”From James our new beneficiary.“
The only thing I was told by the hospital was to turn regularly. In the beginning, I just stayed at home. I used to think I was the only one with this problem. After some time, I was invited to join Songambele. When I met with others I felt very emotional and cried. At peer-to-peer education, I learned how to manage my bladder and bowel, and now when I meet others I teach them what I learned.” From Suzan Sylvester (Mother with a disability)
