Equality for Growth

Sauti ya Mwanamke Sokoni App

The Sauti ya Mwanamke Sokoni Program, initiated by the EfG organization, aims to eliminate gender barriers for women in the informal sector, ensuring their protection from exploitation and abuse. Originating from the realization of gender-based violence among women, particularly women traders in local markets, a comprehensive study was conducted in 2009. This research aimed to provide accurate insights into the realities faced by women in the informal market sector. Findings revealed a lack of awareness among many market women about their rights in market leadership, contributing to unresolved business challenges due to their marginalized voices in decision-making bodies. Additionally, the study highlighted the absence of unity among women in amplifying their voices to influence market leadership.

Consequently, the study recommended a collaborative program to unite and empower women to understand their rights, especially in market leadership and resolving challenges. This led to the inception of the Sauti ya Mwanamke Sokoni Program, focused on ensuring the voices of women traders are heard by establishing inclusive market governance involving all genders. The program started in October 2011 in 18 markets within the Ilala Municipality, Dar-es-Salaam, and expanded to nine additional regions, including Mwanza, Shinyanga, Lindi, Mtwara, Mbeya, Iringa, Lushoto – Tanga, Musoma, and Dodoma.

Drawing from the program's experience, three main strategies were employed:

Unity: The program concentrated on uniting women in markets to create a powerful collective voice. Recognizing that addressing challenges faced by women in markets required their participation in decision-making bodies, the program emphasized unity among them. The proverb, ‘’unity is strength, division is weakness,’’ guided the program to prioritize uniting market women to speak as a single, influential voice.

Empowerment: Post unifying women, the program focused on empowering them by providing diverse training to expand their understanding of various issues concerning women in the informal sector. The EfG research identified a lack of awareness regarding legal and human rights, good governance, business operations, and handling gender-based violence among market women. To address these gaps, the program used an empowerment approach, including capacity-building through training on business law, women's rights, leadership, gender-based violence prevention, business management, entrepreneurship, advocacy, and legal aid services.

Action: After uniting and empowering market women, the program encouraged and supported them in taking meaningful actions. Many market women lacked the confidence and awareness to raise significant issues in their work environment. The initiative aimed to empower women to advocate collectively, provide legal aid, and take legal action to monitor public resource use and prevent gender-based violence.

The Sauti ya Mwanamke Sokoni Program is designed to foster a supportive environment for market women by strengthening unity, enhancing capacities, and encouraging impactful actions. It aims to establish market environments free from gender-based violence, providing equal opportunities for both men and women.

This mobile application serves as a registration platform for women traders in local marketplaces across more than 15 regions in Tanzania. It enables EfG to gather crucial data about these traders, facilitating better support planning and analysis. The app, developed by DigitalBrain Co. Ltd, is a component of the WatuPlus Membership Management System. It connects members with life insurance, issues ID cards, and links them with potential customers, providing a comprehensive solution for their needs.