Countering child marriage and FGM in Mara and Geita Region, Tanzania

"The proposed action aims to reduce the incidence of child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) in selected wards in Tarime District, Mara Region and in Geita Town Council in Geita Region, and seeks to achieve this by empowering girls, the main beneficiaries, and by strengthening community responses to combat these harmful practices. Mara and Geita regions have been selected given the high rates of child marriage at 55% and FGM 40% in Mara, and child marriage rate of 37% and FGM of 15% in Geita. The proposed action builds on the experience, learning and good practices from an ongoing 24-month EC-funded project on child marriage and FGM in Mara Region which targets 5 of the 34 wards in Tarime District and which is implemented with Plan UK International. The proposed action will build on this foundation and use the learning to optimize the delivery and achievement of long term changes of this new action. The action seeks to empower girls and strengthen community responses to ending child marriage and FGM through a set of five reinforcing and inter-linked results which address the complex drivers of harmful practices through an integrated and multi-level approach, by focusing on 1) girls’ empowerment; 2) creation of an enabling environment; 3) economic empowerment; 4) system strengthening and 5) knowledge sharing and advocacy. The proposed action is linked to Plan’s global “Because I am a Girl” movement which aims to reach millions of girls and boys worldwide by working with local communities on gender-transformative programmes to insure the inclusion of girls and by working on policy changes, influencing governments and duty holders at international, national and regional level. The action is also linked to the Child Protection Country Programme of Plan Tanzania which seeks to ensure that the rights of children and young people are protected and respected by engaging rights holders and duty bearers at all levels. "