|
MAVUNO Project | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
The non government organization MAVUNO Project is based at Ihanda in Karagwe District, Kagera Region in North-West Tanzania. MAVUNO was founded in the year 1993 by 34 farmer groups from the Ihanda rural village in Karagwe District. MAVUNO’s name (Swahili word for harvest) is standing for its grassroots oriented approach to improve income and living standards in rural communities of Karagwe. The main objective is to improve the quality of life in rural areas of Karagwe district, Tanzania. MAVUNO’s constitution: As a non-profit organization, MAVUNO is owned by its 218 member families who are represented by their delegates and representatives in the MAVUNO General Assembly. Apart from their members, MAVUNO’s provides also valuable services and workshops to other people and groups, reaching a beneficiary community of more than 10,000 people in total. Beyond charity and general assistance, MAVUNO programs are oriented towards advancing the development of rural Tanzanians. Employing a bottom up approach, we engage organized village members in participatory meetings at the onset of initiatives. These organized members go on to form permanent committees whose responsibility is to assure that the nature of the work being done is concurrent with felt needs. We affirm that the only development that will succeed is development that is recognized and embraced by the local community. Establishing these committees engineers a sense of shared responsibility for increasing the livelihood of rural communities, and ensures that our work is driven by and for the people. Decisions on the implementing of projects are taken by the MAVUNO General Assembly consisting of members of village, local leaders from rural locations where MAVUNO offer its services. According to the objectives, the core of MAVUNO’s work is to empower rural people of Karagwe by relieving basic needs, providing practical opportunities, and creating sustainable alternatives. Our established programs include agriculture extension work,Environmental protection, microfinance services, participatory construction of rainwater harvesting tanks for rural families, access to education for disadvantaged children, and supportive services for a local coalition of those living with HIV/AIDS. In addition, we are in the process of building an Education Center for Agriculture, Academics, and Trade (ECAAT) in the village of Chonyonyo for the purpose of training both small holder subsistence farmers and secondary level students. Our aim is to educate local community members in proper utilization and development of their environment by addressing the underlying problems of environmental degradation and insufficient education. Our target beneficiaries include small holder subsistence farmers, pastoralist families, women and girls, and disadvantaged children struggling to get universal primary and secondary education. You can contact us via the following address: MAVUNO Project, BOX 273, Karagwe, Tanzania Email: info@mavuno.net |
 Demonstration plot for sustainable agriculture which has been established at Chonyonyo village  Biogas plant constructed at MAVUNO offices for demonstration purposes |