TANGO Report Shows Huge Benefits to Women
One of the most exciting portions of the final TANGO Report on World Vision's THRIVE program in Tanzania had to do with the impact it had on women. THRIVE Tanzania started in 2013 and finished in 2021, serving over 9200 smallholder farmers, 63% of whom were women. THRIVE resulted in some very significant changes for women including:
- Empowered to participate economically;
- Better relations at the household level (between husband and wife);
- Higher household incomes;
- Significantly improved ability to provide well for their children.
As reported by TANGO, one of the key reasons that incomes are now 10 times higher than when we started is that women have been included in income generation, a shift from “before” when they “stayed at home and waited for men to provide”. One female focus group discussion summarized what was said in many female and male focus group discussions: “We women have filled the income gap that existed prior to the project activities because now we are no longer consumers but are now actively generating income for our households.”
Project participation reportedly (1) enabled women to participate in income generating activities and (2) improved relationships and decision-making at the household level (between husband and wife), with in some cases men encouraging women in decision-making. This is especially prevalent when both husband and wife are part of the same saving/producer group.
Focus group discussions with THRIVE households find that women now have their own money, savings, and income sources, and are no longer solely dependent on their husbands for financial support. Interviews with THRIVE participants and program staff report that this led to a decrease in domestic violence and an improvement in relationships between men and women.
Project efforts to enable men and women to discuss issues together has empowered women and increased joint decision-making, as reported by both project staff and THRIVE participants. For savings and farmer groups with female leaders, it is reported that men increasingly see women as capable leaders as a result of participation in female-headed groups. Key informant interviews with village and district leaders support this, indicating that project activities have supported women in engaging in income generating activities through the creation of small businesses and that women are now playing a more important role (active and proactive) in income generation activities.
Unlike in the THRIVE participating groups, the women interviewed in control areas had not witnessed the many changes cited by households participating in THRIVE activities. Control households report they were still struggling with domestic violence and lack of appreciation in decision making. Men did not want to be associated with women and expressed that group activities were mainly intended for women.