Impact of THRIVE Tanzania on Women
The THRIVE program in Tanzania started in 2013 and in 2021 completed all of its activities. Addressing the twin problems of extreme poverty and vulnerability to weather and market-related shocks, THRIVE was put in place to systematically build both improved and resilient livelihoods for smallholder farmers.
Of the 9,201 direct program participants, 63% were women, and the evaluation of TANGO International, our external evaluators, has concluded that there has been a “gendered impact” of program activities. We are not surprised, but we are most thankful. Most of the following is directly quoted from the TANGO report.
According to the TANGO evaluation, project participation:
- Enabled women to participate in income generating activities; and
- 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 savings/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.
(Editor’s note: The “control” group were people from the same community, but often “over the hill” from the main group of THRIVE households, or were originally disqualified from participation because they were not poor enough. Non-THRIVE households were reported to have participated in many of the trainings. Moreover, World Vision staff and Tanzanian government extension officers took the THRIVE principles and approaches to others in the THRIVE and neighboring communities. While not optimal in terms of study and evaluation purposes, what this means is that THRIVE spread to far more than the 9,201 participants covered in the study, and also that at least some portion of the increased well-being in the “Control Group” likely came as a result of the program. However, the “control” group did not receive the Empowered Worldview training, and that likely explains why women in the “control” group did not (YET) see their lives transformed.)
Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions report that the Empowered Worldview training component has transformed the mindsets of participants permanently and thus will continue to change lives beyond the project life cycle. There has been positive change in how communities and households view themselves and perceive their environment. Some participant interviews noted that Empowered Worldview training shifted mindsets specifically around discriminative beliefs about the role of women in society, which has improved the role of women in the community.
Thanks be to God!