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Monday 08:30 - 16:00 Tuesday 08:30 - 16:00 Wednesday 08:30 - 16:00 Thursday 08:30 - 16:00 Friday 08:30 - 16:00

https://arusha-archdiocese.or.tz/

Widgad Aaidro, P. O Box 3044, Arusha (2026)

14/10/2026

STRATEGIC MILESTONE: Facilitating the Formal Establishment and Growth Roadmap of SAMBASHA-AMCOS 🇹🇿🏢

Building sustainable agricultural value chains requires shifting from fragmented smallholder production to organized co-operative structures. WIDGAD (Women in Development / Gender in Development) is proud to announce its facilitation of the official establishment and registration of SAMBASHA-AMCOS (Agricultural Marketing Co-operative Society), connecting farming households across Sambasha, Timbolo, and Shiboro villages.

Core Objectives of SAMBASHA-AMCOS:
The co-operative union aims to empower local producers by aggregating yield volumes, enhancing quality control, negotiating fair market pricing, and significantly increasing farm-gate revenues across the participating communities.

Multi-Stakeholder Strategic Planning Meeting:
To ensure strong co-operative governance and lay down immediate operational strategies, WIDGAD convened a high-level joint coordination session featured in these photographs.

Key Stakeholders Present:
🔹 District Leadership: Heads of Department for Agriculture and Co-operatives from Arusha District Council (Arusha DC).
🔹 Grassroots Governance: Village leaders and Extension Officers from Sambasha, Timbolo, and Shiboro.
🔹 Co-operative Leadership: Executive Officers and Board Representatives of SAMBASHA-AMCOS.
🔹 WIDGAD Project Team: Coordinating the strategic alignment between institutional policy and community-level action.

Strategic Focus Areas:
The discussions focused on finalizing membership structures, implementing transparent financial management practices, organizing collection centers, and linking smallholders to reliable regional commodity buyers.

We extend our gratitude to the leadership of Arusha District Council and local village administrations for their unwavering support in driving structural economic empowerment across the region.

WIDGAD – "Empowering Communities for a Better Future"

Partners: .ch

14/10/2026

STRATEGIC MILESTONE: WIDGAD Facilitates the Formal Registration and Strategic Planning of OMIMBU-AMCOS 🇹🇿🏢

Collective bargaining and structured market access are critical to lifting smallholder farmers out of subsistence farming. WIDGAD (Women in Development / Gender in Development) is proud to announce its facilitation of the official establishment and registration of OMIMBU-AMCOS (Agricultural Marketing Co-operative Society), serving smallholder farmers in Oljoro, Mirongoine, and Mbuyuni villages within the Oljoro Ward.

Purpose of OMIMBU-AMCOS:
The primary objective of this co-operative union is to pool regional agricultural produce, optimize supply chains, secure competitive market prices, and increase sustainable farm-gate revenues for local households.

Multi-Stakeholder Planning Session:
To build strong institutional governance and map out immediate development strategies, WIDGAD convened a high-level coordination meeting featured in these photographs.

Key Participants Included:
🔹 District Leadership: Heads of Department for Agriculture and Co-operatives from the Arusha District Council (Arusha DC).
🔹 Grassroots Governance: Village leaders and Ward Agricultural Extension Officers from Oljoro and Mirongoine.
🔹 Co-operative Leadership: Executive Officers and Board Members of OMIMBU-AMCOS.
🔹 WIDGAD Representation: Facilitating the alignment of co-operative strategy with local government guidelines.

Key Focus Areas:
The meeting established clear roadmaps for membership recruitment, financial governance, bulk crop aggregation, and market linkages to guarantee long-term operational success for the co-operative.

WIDGAD extends its sincere appreciation to the Arusha District Council and local village administrations for their steadfast partnership in advancing rural economic growth and institutional governance.

WIDGAD – "Empowering Communities for a Better Future"

Partners: .ch

24/09/2026

SUCCESS STORY: Good Agronomic Practices Drive Maize Yields and Food Security in Mirongoine 🇹🇿🏢

Sustainable community resilience begins with household food self-reliance. WIDGAD (Women in Development / Gender in Development) recently conducted a field assessment in Mirongoine Village to monitor the progress of smallholder farmers adopting improved agronomic practices in staple crop production.

Bridging Knowledge to Productivity:
Through structured agronomy training, this featured farmer moved away from outdated farming methods and implemented recommended field standards, including optimized plant spacing, balanced soil management, and timely weeding.

The Dual-Benefit Outcome:

Substantial Yield Growth: The targeted agronomic interventions yielded a bumper maize crop, drastically outperforming previous seasons.

Securing Household Reserves: A significant portion of the harvest has been safely preserved and stored using proper post-harvest handling techniques, safeguarding the household against seasonal food shortages.

Commercial Market Access: The remaining surplus is channeled directly into market sales, generating essential capital to cover educational needs, healthcare, and future farm investments.

Equipping rural farmers with the tools to master staple crop production remains central to our commitment to poverty reduction and sustainable development across the Arusha District.

WIDGAD – "Empowering Communities for a Better Future"

Partners: .ch

02/09/2026

EVIDENCE IN THE FIELD: How Improved Horticulture Techniques Are Transforming Oldonyowas 🇹🇿🏢

Seeing the clear visual contrast between traditional planting and modern agronomic practices shows the exact value of structured training. WIDGAD (Women in Development / Gender in Development) recently completed field monitoring visits across Oldonyowas Village to assess the adoption of improved horticultural production techniques among our vegetable and beetroot growers.

The Core Agronomic Shift:
Previously, many smallholders relied on broadcast seeding without regular spacing, leading to crop overcrowding, nutrient competition, and low yields of uneven quality. Through targeted training, farmers transitioned to structured field designs with measured plant-to-plant spacing, optimized bed preparation, and systematic crop care.

Measurable Results:

Substantial Yield Increases: Standardized spacing allows root crops like beetroot to develop fully, significantly raising overall harvest weight per plot.

Premium Market Appearance: Uniform size, vibrant color, and healthy growth ensure farmers meet the cosmetic and quality standards required by commercial buyers.

Simplified Farm Management: Clearly organized rows streamline weeding, targeted fertilization, and efficient water management.

Compare the Difference in the Photo Carousel:
Browse through the images to inspect the thriving, deep-colored beetroot rows cultivated using improved techniques. The final image illustrates a control plot using traditional, unorganized planting—visibly marked by irregular growth and reduced vigor.

WIDGAD – "Empowering Communities for a Better Future"

Partners: .ch

31/08/2026

CLIMATE-SMART HORTICULTURE: Monitoring Rainwater Harvesting Success in Oldonyowas Village 🇹🇿🏢

Building resilient rural livelihoods requires equipping smallholder farmers with practical technologies to overcome climate challenges. WIDGAD (Women in Development / Gender in Development) recently conducted a field monitoring visit to Mzee Israel, a dedicated farmer and project beneficiary in Oldonyowas Village.

Adopting Improved Horticultural Techniques:
Following our capacity-building sessions on advanced vegetable crop production, Mzee Israel successfully integrated climate-smart water storage into his daily farming operations:

Dam Liner Water Harvesting: Utilizing dam liners to create secure, leak-proof rainwater reservoirs, ensuring a dependable irrigation source throughout dry periods.

Continuous Crop Production: Overcoming seasonal water scarcity to cultivate high-demand horticultural crops consistently throughout the year.

Boosting Household Income & Food Security: Maximizing harvest volume and crop quality to supply competitive regional markets while securing family nutrition.

As WIDGAD, we take immense pride in seeing our training programs translate into measurable, self-reliant farming systems that buffer our communities against changing weather patterns.

WIDGAD – "Empowering Communities for a Better Future"

Partners: .ch

21/08/2026

WASH & NUTRITION: Monitoring Rainwater Harvesting Impact at Mirongoine Primary School 🇹🇿🏢

Reliable access to clean water within educational institutions is fundamental to child health, school attendance, and environmental sustainability. WIDGAD (Women in Development / Gender in Development) recently carried out a comprehensive follow-up visit to evaluate the usage and sustainability of the rainwater harvesting storage tank provided to Mirongoine Primary School.

Key Outcomes Observed in the Field:

Enhanced School Sanitation & Hygiene: The continuous water reserve enables proper handwashing practices and daily maintenance of school sanitation facilities, reducing the risk of waterborne illnesses.

Productive School Vegetable Gardening: Students and staff reliably irrigate their on-site vegetable plots, ensuring steady produce to supplement school nutrition programs and teach practical agricultural skills.

Uninterrupted Classroom Focus: Storing rainwater on campus guarantees that children focus fully on their education rather than losing valuable learning hours searching for or hauling water.

By integrating water harvesting solutions into rural schools, WIDGAD continues to champion healthy learning environments, climate resilience, and foundational child well-being across the Arusha District.

WIDGAD – "Empowering Communities for a Better Future"

Partners: .ch

20/08/2026

LEGAL EMPOWERMENT: Strengthening Community Response to GBV Across 5 Villages 🇹🇿⚖️

Access to justice at the grassroots level requires trained champions who know the legal frameworks, evidence requirements, and reporting channels. WIDGAD (Women in Development / Gender in Development), in strategic partnership with TAWLA Tanzania Women Lawyers Association , successfully delivered specialized legal and paralegal training across Mirongoine, Oldonyowas, Timbolo, Shiboro, and Oljoro villages.

Empowering MTAKUWWA and Community Paralegals:
The training brought together village MTAKUWWA (National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children) committees alongside active grassroots paralegals to sharpen community-level interventions against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

Reporting Pathways & Competent Authorities: Clear mapping of the legal authorities, police gender desks, and social welfare structures responsible for handling GBV reports efficiently.

Evidence Preservation in Sexual Violence Cases: Training community first-responders on how to properly document, protect, and preserve sensitive medical and forensic evidence essential for successful legal prosecution.

Confidentiality & Survivor Support: Establishing safe, survivor-centered environments that encourage victims to speak out without fear of secondary victimization or stigma.

By bridging formal legal expertise from TAWLA with local village committees, we are building a safer, more accountable support system for women and children across the Arusha District.

WIDGAD – "Empowering Communities for a Better Future"

Partners: .ch

19/08/2026

TRANSFORMING LIVELIHOODS: Building Sustainable Poultry Agribusinesses at the Household Level 🇹🇿🏢

True sustainable development occurs when community training evolves into a steady, reliable source of household income. WIDGAD (Women in Development / Gender in Development) is proud to celebrate our poultry project beneficiaries who have successfully adopted modern livestock management to turn their farms into thriving enterprises.

The Pillars of Modern Poultry Management:
Our comprehensive training program addresses the key challenges of traditional poultry keeping by focusing on three essential pillars:

Modern Housing Structures: Constructing clean, bio-secure, and well-ventilated housing to protect birds from predators, extreme weather, and viral contamination.

Balanced Nutrition: Teaching farmers how to manage and source cost-effective, high-nutrient feed to ensure rapid growth and high laying rates.

Proactive Healthcare & Vaccination: Providing vital skills on administering timely vaccines and disease prevention measures to drastically lower mortality rates.

From Knowledge to Economic Independence:
By mastering these critical components, our beneficiaries have elevated poultry keeping into a primary Income-Generating Activity (IGA). This steady cash flow strengthens household economic resilience, secures family food security, and drives our vision of a self-reliant Arusha.

Congratulations to all our beneficiaries for their hard work and commitment to modern agribusiness! 🤝🐓

WIDGAD – "Empowering Communities for a Better Future"

Partners: .ch

08/08/2026

CAPACITY BUILDING: Demonstrating Modern Hive Placement in Oljoro Village 🇹🇿🏢

To harvest premium-grade honey, technique matters at every stage of the value chain. WIDGAD (Women in Development / Gender in Development) recently facilitated a practical field training on Best Beekeeping Practices for our apiculture groups in Oljoro Village.

Mastering Modern Apiculture Techniques:
Traditional beekeeping often relies on ground placement or informal methods that expose hives to pests, moisture, and contamination. During this hands-on session, farmers were trained on:

🔹 Strategic Tree Mounting: Safely securing modern hives on tree structures to create an optimal, shaded micro-environment for bee colonies.
🔹 Pest & Contamination Control: Elevating hives prevents ground predators and pests from invading, leading to healthier hives and pure, high-value honey.
🔹 Environmental Integration: Utilizing native trees for hive placement fosters forest conservation, aligning directly with our climate resilience goals.

By equipping our farmers with precise technical skills, WIDGAD continues to turn apiculture into a clean, profitable, and sustainable agribusiness across the Arusha District.

Congratulations to the Oljoro team for continually raising the standard of local honey production! 🤝🐝

WIDGAD – "Empowering Communities for a Better Future"

Partners: .ch

25/07/2026

CAPACITY BUILDING: CRDB Foundation Equips Shiboro Farmers with Vital Financial Skills 🇹🇿🏢

Sustaining agricultural progress requires pairing good field management with sound financial literacy. WIDGAD (Women in Development / Gender in Development), alongside Jimbo Kuu la Arusha, expresses its sincere appreciation to CRDB Bank and the CRDB Bank Foundation for facilitating a comprehensive financial education workshop in Shiboro Village.

Core Learning Pillars:
🔹 Savings & Financial Discipline: Farmers learned practical methods for structuring household savings, managing income fluctuations between harvest seasons, and protecting their earnings.
🔹 Accessing Agricultural Credit: The facilitators demystified formal banking processes, showing how smallholders and group networks can qualify for accessible credit products.
🔹 The IMBEJU Opportunity: Participants received detailed guidance on leveraging the IMBEJU initiative—a program designed to provide seed capital and low-interest support to boost agricultural production.

By connecting rural producers directly with formal financial institutions, we are building a foundation of economic self-reliance and long-term security across the Arusha District.

Thank you to the CRDB Foundation team for their unwavering support of our farming communities! 🤝📊

WIDGAD – "Empowering Communities for a Better Future"

Partners: .ch

Widgad Aaidro

14/10/2026

14/10/2026

24/09/2026

02/09/2026

31/08/2026

21/08/2026

20/08/2026

19/08/2026

08/08/2026

25/07/2026

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Monday	08:30 - 16:00
Tuesday	08:30 - 16:00
Wednesday	08:30 - 16:00
Thursday	08:30 - 16:00
Friday	08:30 - 16:00