Tazama Community Resource Team
[History] [Purpose: Mission . Goals] [Objectives ] [Activities] [Partners]
TAZAMA-CRT was launched in 1998 as a program devoted to strengthen the capacity of Maasai pastoralist and hunters gatherers be in the position to control manage and gain benefit from their natural resources. So the Land use planning and natural resource management process is a main strategy applied by the team. This process is a result of a comprehensive research contacted by Lawyers Environment Team, Dorobo fund and CRT members.
The following findings, which are the key leading strategies for the team, were identified:
• Limited opportunities for pastoralism due to changing of traditional land tenure that ignore the Maasai and hunters way of life.
• Exploitation of natural resource by outsiders and the government for the sake of national interest without any gain to local communities, and includes high migration to Maasai and Hadza localities.
MISSION:
• To improve sustainable livelihoods and health environment for pastoralists, hunters and gatherers through sustainable natural resource management process, to advocate the position of local community as controllers and subject of their resources.
GOALS:
• The main goal of CRT is to work with the full involvement of local communities in odder to develop strategies for long term sustainable management and wise use of land and natural resources.
• To educate communities to participate in various aspect within the local community, our concept of participation that all groups and communities within the village has the equal right to give opinions, and make decisions and that this diverse opinions are not undermined by self interested parties .
- To enable communities within the villages by building their capacity and or in understanding on how to set village land use plans and use natural resources in a sustainable manner through identification of natural resources and their value or benefits.
- To assist in implementing national policies such as the National Land use Planning Commission’s guidelines on Participatory Land Use Planning so as to help meet the goals of community development.
- To promote the accountability and responsibility of local institutions by assisting local communities to hold accountable community members and others who attempt to sell land without fully consulting the community.
- To raise awareness among communities about both internal and external interests and forces toward community land and natural resources and to assist in finding an amicable conflict resolution.
- To educate communities about the options for resource use, and help them identify resources that are underutilized, misused, or over utilized.
- To assist communities to create village Land use Plans and Resources Management by-laws that may help them with various village development projects that contribute to quality of life for members of the community.
- To assist village members to implement their land use plans through necessary technical and financial support.
- To advocate and lobby on issues that are sensitive to the public and the communities.
- To educate communities on changing laws that in one way or another may affect their livelihoods and natural resources.
- To establish school outreach program termed as “environmental education and school greening” within CRT operational areas
• Assist other villages to draft village land use plans and by-laws associated with plans.
• Formation of village environmental committees
• Contacting training at the village on accountability, leadership, and participatory decision-making, with the new land bill and the implication with traditional land tenure (improving village democracy and accountability)
• Support primary and secondary education for pastoralist and hunters children.
COLLABORATION WITH OTHER INSTITUTIONS:
TAZAMA-CRT is working closely with village leadership, District councils, local NGOs like Pastoral Women Council LOSADEI, OXFAM pastoralist program, Dorobo fund and PINGO’s forum.