Temeke residents have set up several environmental groups, dubbed “Usafi
Clubs” as part of a urban legal empowerment project, which gears at sensitizing
and empowering local communities to clean up their environment, among other
things.
Urban legal empowerment project is a brainchild of the Legal Services
Facility (LSF)—a basket funding mechanism, which provide grants to legal aid
organizations involved in the implementation of paralegal and related projects
across the country. More than 50 legal aid organizations have already benefited
from LSF funding since its inception in 2011.
Among other things, urban legal empowerment intends to empower urban
dwellers and enable them to access their social and economic rights—including
access to safe water, education, health services, clean environment, and other
social and economic rights.
Lawyers Environmental Action Team (LEAT)—is one of six legal aid
organizations which received LSF funding for the implementation of urban legal
empowerment project in different parts of Dar es Salaam. Basically, LEAT
focused on environmental-related issues—educating/training local communities,
paralegals, paralegal units, local executives on the importance of cleaning up
their environment, exposing them to environmental and hygienic laws, rules and
regulations and other related matters in Temeke District.
The knowledge acquired from LEAT trainings, encouraged Temeke residents
to establish their own environmental groups, popularly known as “Usafi Clubs”
–an instrument which is used to sensitize and mobilize people, local
authorities and leaders, investors to clean their environment—from the streets
up to the district levels.
“We thank LSF on one hand, and LEAT on the other…we thank LSF because it
supported LEAT to give us such good education on environment, laws and
regulations. Thanks to the two of them,” said one Temeke resident, Hassan Juma,
at a special session organized by LEAT to review implementation of a one-year
pilot project.
“It’s because of their support, now we have Usafi Clubs in
place…everybody is eager to join to these clubs,” added Juma as recalls
successes registered in the implementation of the project.
Hemed Pazi, Chairman of Temeke Paralegal Centre, said four Usafi Clubs
have been formed –2 clubs in Mbagala Ward and 2 in Mianzini Ward –in the
context of project implementation, which also involved paralegals.
Interesting part of the story is that local government executives are
“part and parcel of these clubs…they are members of the clubs” according to
Pazi, noting that “involvement of local leaders increased public trust and
confidence on the clubs, thus making them more effective.”
Mianzini Ward Councilor, Abdallah Kipende said door-to-door
environmental knowledge spread by Usafi Clubs has significantly changed
altitudes and behaviour of Temeke residents, enabling them to set up dust-bins
and tanks across the streets, stopped littering the environment, as they used
to do in the past.
“In fact, the entire Temeke community is now sensitive about
environmental issues; many people are aware of their environmental rights.
Today, if somebody wants to put up industries or any large-scale investment in
the district should get prepared for tough questions from communities on
strategies they would employ to protect the environment,” says Kipende.
Besides establishment of Usafi Clubs, according to Ms. Glory Kilawe,
LEAT official-in-charge of the project, said 19 environmental cases were
resolved, over 600 students received environmental education, several educative
materials distributed to communities, special television and radio programmes
were aired, public dialogues organized on the subject—as part of urban legal
empowerment pilot project in Temeke district.
In the wake of increasing number of urban poor
needing legal assistance in different parts of the country, LSF came
up with urban legal empowerment—a new and strategic model which
guides paralegals and legal aid organizations on how to assist urban dwellers
to access their social and economic rights.
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