At the end of January 2021, the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency. In mid-March, the government in Tanzania imposed a total curfew, which has been extended indefinitely at the time of going to press in early May. Costantine Nyambajo, who coordinates terre des hommes switzerland's projects in Tanzania, provides information on the Covid 19 lockdown in his country at the beginning of May and explains why it is essential that we maintain our health work with young people.
What is your main task these days vis-à-vis our Tanzanian project partners?
Costantine Nyambayo: We are in constant contact with each other. I give them constant updates on the latest government regulations and guidance against the spread of Covid-19 and get the material for their local hygiene campaigns. In the office, we are more flexible than usual. Our employees can take time out of work to spend with their families in this difficult situation.
What does the lockdown mean for the work of our local partners?
They can no longer carry out their work as before, since, for example, workshops in youth clubs and schools or direct personal counselling of young people are prohibited. The government's curfew is binding for everyone. This gives us little room for manoeuvre.
You wait until the "haunting" is over?
Not at all, because then we would allow young people - even those in acute need regardless of Covid-19 - to be left completely alone. Rather, we adapt to the crisis situation. Our people - staff and volunteers, school and community leaders or parents and youth peer educators - use the available channels of communication for education, information and assistance on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) on the one hand and related Gender-Based Violence (GBV) on the other.
A proven focus of terre des hommes switzerland.
Exactly. SRHR and GBV are central to the physical health, mental wellbeing and longer-term life prospects of young people in Tanzania. We have great experience and expertise in this and it is imperative that we continue this commitment now - anything else would be irresponsible. At the moment, we are simply adding preventive measures against the coronavirus. We have organized hand soaps, disinfectants and water buckets, which we distribute to the young people and their social environment through our multipliers.
What channels do you use to communicate with young people when direct contact is forbidden?
The accompaniment of young people in a crisis runs over the telephone. Our partner organisation KIVIDEA in Kigoma on Lake Victoria, for example, makes radio programmes, on the one hand for raising awareness in the communities and on the other hand specifically for adolescents and young adults. The youth programme is made by the young people themselves, supported by our staff and health professionals. The radio programme is interactive, you can call the studio or send your questions with your smartphone.
Do social media applications also come into play?
Sure. Facebook, Instagram and Whats-App are extremely important in Lockdown, as are group chats among young people based on the peer-to-peer principle. We were already strong in this youth-oriented, agile help for self-help before the Corona crisis. However, we do not reach all young people in this way, because many do not have a mobile phone or internet at home. That is a big problem.
There is a dire global recession looming because of the Corona pandemic. What does this mean for the population in Tanzania?
For the vast majority of people, and also for "our" young people in a precarious situation, there is much more at stake - it is a matter of bare survival. A healthy person can go to work and thus contribute significantly to the income of his family. If he falls ill, he and his family face starvation. The Corona crisis hits the most vulnerable in society the hardest. Access to health care in Tanzania is poor, the quality is inadequate and only the privileged can afford it anyway. Our health system is poor and not at all prepared for crises. The capacity of the public sector to provide care will not be sufficient and there is a shortage of qualified health personnel and medical equipment anyway.
The Corona pandemic will certainly affect the sexual and reproductive health of young people in our project regions in the northwest and west of Tanzania. It will be very difficult to help them.
What are the other reasons besides the fact that many rural youth in poverty are not accessible through digital channels?
For example, if health centres and clinics are at capacity with Covid 19 treatments, patients with other needs have no chance of receiving treatment. I am really very worried. There is every indication that the health threat of the Corona pandemic will be enormous. It will exacerbate existing inequalities of age and gender. Sexual violence against minors and especially girls and women will increase. We should expect more rapes and, as a consequence, more teenage pregnancies.
Many young people do not know the most basic rules of conduct in dealing with their own sexuality. They have unprotected sex or do not defend themselves against assault. Why does Tanzanian society allow this?
Sex and sexuality remain taboo subjects, especially in rural areas and among marginalized social groups. Average knowledge of sexual health, safe sex, reproduction and sexual rights is low. Sex education in schools and most families is lacking. Cultural and religious values and norms, such as the circumcision of girls, make open discussion on these topics impossible. They ensure that children and adolescents are uninformed or misinformed about their sexual health and rights.
Studies show: Minors in Tanzania have sexual experiences long before they reach the age of 15. Girls in particular are at extreme risk of becoming pregnant and being infected with sexually transmitted diseases during unprotected sexual intercourse. This has negative consequences for the rest of their lives. Parents, caregivers, teachers and religious leaders. Even health professionals all have their part in this devastating practice.
Health professionals?
Many health workers have fundamental prejudices against teenagers seeking help and do not take them and their concerns seriously. Research shows that only one third of health services in Tanzania are youth-friendly. As a result, those seeking help are not given contraceptives, cannot take an HIV test, and are not treated for sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea. There is even a well-founded fear among young people of sexual abuse by staff at the centres.
The realisation that the sexual health of young people in Tanzania is in a bad way is not new. That is why the work of our partner organisations is so important and must be guaranteed even during the Corona crisis! There are developments that make me hopeful - modern means of communication are certainly a great opportunity, because they enable more and more adolescents and young adults to obtain serious information. But archaic ideas about sexuality and gender persist. They prevent healthy development.
How do the projects of terre des hommes switzerland at Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika contribute to the good development of young people in Tanzania?
Teenagers are going through puberty. They are at a crossroads in their lives and the issues of sexuality interest them greatly. Most young people I meet are oriented to their peers. Many communicate through social media, read daily newspapers or watch TV. In the KIVIDEA project, we work with young people through different channels and with a variety of low-threshold activities.
No matter what we do, their needs and concerns are always at the center. That's what sets us apart from other organizations. Sexual and reproductive health and rights education, combined with training on how to use it wisely in everyday life, helps young people make informed decisions about their own lives ahead. Empowered and informed young women and men lead the change towards a more just world.
Interview: Anna Wegelin
