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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The preparation of this Field Report is a result of the great assistance, views and ideas,

consultation and encouragement of many individuals. All in all first I would like to thank my

Almighty God for giving me good health to do my practical Training and writing a report as

well. I would like to express my sincere gratitude and deepest appreciation to great number of

people who have in one or another way support me in preparation of this Field Report..

Although it would have been formidable exercise mentioning all of them, there are few that

would not escape the Report’s mind. For most my sincerely gratitude goes to my supervisor Mr.

Sostheness Ruheza for his tireless and patient guidance, understanding, commitment and

criticism during the preparation of this report.

I like also to express my sincere gratitude to the management of Plan international for allowing

me to undertake my field studies and their decision for granting me permission to use various

documents in preparing this report. The staff of Plan international also deserves my special

thanks, for their help, kindness and friendship extended to me during field work. Special thanks

to Geita program unit manager Mr. Daniel Kalimbiya, and all departments including program

department Mr. Maximillian S. Kitigwa, Mr. Paul Kabeya and Ms.Jovita Kahamba for their

guidance and teaching me the day-to –day activities and help me to participate fully in every

program activities.

I would not forget my Family and parents for their financial support, their love, guidance and

kindness, motivation and moral support that I received from them during my training period.

Finally I would like also to thank my friends and my fellow students who helped me in writing

this report, is not possible to mention all of them but my special thanks go to 2011/2012 Third

year student pursuing Bachelor of Arts in Community Development who supported me a lot.

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DECLARATION

I declare that the content of this paper are results of my own study and findings to the best of

my knowledge, they had never been presented as field work report for any undergraduate student

or other professional award in any institute of higher learning

Signed by:

…………………….

James Nyamwaga Date …………………..

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COPYRIGHT

All rights reserved. No part of this report may be transmitted, reprinted, reproduced or utilized in

any form either in whole or part or by any electronic or other means without prior from the

author and Tumaini University.

James@2011

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ABSTRACT

Field study based on community development program at Plan International Geita Program Unit.

During the study the report examined the effectiveness of different department of Plan

International such as Finance Department and Administration Department, Program Department,

Sponsorship Department and ICT Department in accomplishing the goals of bringing about

sustainable community development. The main and key area of the field study was in program

department which comprise community development facilitators who deals with writing of

different project proposals and implement those project and those project proposed by plan

international are always community based project.

This field report is presented in three chapters. Chapter one covers introduction which followed

by historical background of Plan International, vision, mission, Plan country goal and Geita

program unit operation in Geita district then organization structure of plan international Geita

program unit. Then chapter two has got technical part which include description of the duties in

the field, lesson learnt, opportunities and challenges then chapter three of the report is

conclusion, recommendation and references.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ...........................................................................................................1

DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................2

COPYRIGHT .............................................................................................................................3

ABSTRACT ...............................................................................................................................4

List of abbreviations and acronyms .............................................................................................6

CHAPTER ONE .........................................................................................................................7

1.0 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................7

1.1 Historical background ...........................................................................................................7

1.2 Vision ...................................................................................................................................7

1.3 Mission .................................................................................................................................7

1.4 Plan country Goal ..................................................................................................................8

1.5 Plan Geita program unit .........................................................................................................8

1.6 Organization structure ...........................................................................................................8

CHAPTER TWO ...................................................................................................................... 10

2.0 Technical part ...................................................................................................................... 10

2.1 Description of the duties ...................................................................................................... 11

2.3 Lesson learnt ....................................................................................................................... 12

2.4 Opportunities....................................................................................................................... 12

2.5 Challenges ........................................................................................................................... 14

2.5.1 Challenges/Constraints in the community ......................................................................... 14

2.5.2 Challenges/constraints in an organization ......................................................................... 16

CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................................... 17

3.0 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 17

3.1 Recommendation................................................................................................................. 17

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 18

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List of abbreviations and acronyms

ECCD Early Childhood Care and Development

CP Country Program

CSP Country Strategic Plan

MDGs Millennium Development Goals

VSLA Village Small Loans Associations

CBDA community based distribution agents

ICT Information Communication Technology

C-CCD Child Centered Community Development

SIDO Small Industry Development Organization

CBOs Civil Based Organization

FBOs Faith Based Organization

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CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Historical background

Plan is one among the global organization works in more than 48 developing nation across Asia,

Africa and the Americas it only works hand in hand with the community to ensure child rights

respect people’s and dignify the dignity of the people that is why Plan is independent

organization with no religion, political or governmental affiliations.

As it is plan international organization is only focus on child rights and it use the child centered

community development (C-CCD) approaches to reach the intended or targeted group (child) all

over the world.

In Tanzania Plan international located in Dar-es-salaam where there is country office and this

office coordinate with different program unit located in Ifakara, Kibaha, Mwanza and Geita in

order to accomplish the entire Plan international goal

1.2 Vision

Plan's vision is of a world in which all children realize their full potential in societies that respect

people's rights and dignity.

1.3 Mission

Plan aims to achieve lasting improvements in the quality of life of deprived children in

developing countries, through a process that unites people across cultures and adds meaning and

value to their lives, by:

Enabling deprived children, their families and their communities to meet their basic

needs and to increase their ability to participate in and benefit from their societies

Building relationships to increase understanding and unity among peoples of different

cultures and countries

Promoting the rights and interests of the world's children.

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1.4 Plan country Goal

To empower, respect and responsible for children and youth

1.5 Plan Geita program unit

Geita is now a region with 4 District, Geita, Bukombe, Chato and Nyang’hawe. Plan

international Tanzania works in four wards of Geita, Kalangalala, Kasamwa, Ihanamilo and

Katoro with a total population of approximately 479,774 people. About 98% of the population in

the program area is peasant farmers and livestock keepers who depend on subsistence

agricultural production. The estimated annual per capita income in the area is US $ 100 there has

been an increase of 14 wards and 29 villages in Geita district and subsequently making a total of

47 wards and 211 villages.

According to the national population the housing census, the following is the currently district

estimated population

Male Female Total population

449,206 450,408 899,614

1.6 Organization structure

The organization structure has got clear departmentalization with logical form of authority where

by every department has got its own responsibility to fulfill that is why there is no any

overlapping of duties from one department to another department and the following are the

function departmentalization of plan Geita program unit:

Program unit manager: the one who take a driver seat to control and manage all departments

Program department: deals with Preparation and implementation all projects pertain to the

program

ICT department: deals with information management of computers and internet in the

organization

Finance and administrative department: deals with financial management system and

administrative issues

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Sponsorship department: deals with information of children who are being sponsored by the

organization

In short all departments interlink to one another in order to accomplish the targeted goals of the

organization

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CHAPTER TWO

2.0 Technical part

During my field internship I was effective worked in program departments and function in two

among the five Plan country programs (CP) which guide the formulation of different community

based projects and these country program are country program one and two like as follows;

CP 01: safe environment for children and youth (“Mazingira Salama kwa Vijana na Watoto”)

and the issues that addressed are like as follows: violence, lack of protection, child exploitation,

harmful traditional practice, child neglect, children in disasters and birth registration.

Objectives of the program

To improve data availability, management, dissemination on violence against children

and youth

To improve protective environment for children and youth at national and local level

To mainstream protection of children and youth in all programs and operation of plan

CP 02: country program 02: fair start in early childhood, care and development (ECCD)

Objectives of the program

To create awareness on the importance of ECCD and pre-primary education level

To improve access of quality ECCD and pre-primary education

To strengthen the capacity of local government, CSOs and community to manage ECCD

and pre-primary education

To strengthen responsibility of both parents (men and women) in caring and upbringing

their children

To enhance capacity development opportunities for ECCD care givers and pre-primary

teachers

To ensure continuation of education

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2.1 Description of the duties

Desk review of plan international Tanzania country strategic plan of 2002 and 2010-2015

which include all duties, objectives and country programs of Plan international where by

the organization used the country strategic plan to draw and set out different projects

from country program (CP) for example is capacity building to ECCD project was

generated from country program two (CP: 02) which is fair start in early childhood care

and development.

Desk review of different projects include those projects related to health, children, water

projects and households economic security projects such as village small loans

associations (VSLA) project .

Field visits to different to different project areas and ECCD centers villages such as

Bung’wangoko and Buzanaki ECCD centre not only that but also we conducted field to

both pre-primary, primary and secondary school such as Mkoba primary school and

Ihanamilo primary school and the main task of visit those primary school and secondary

school was to implement the project that related to education by distributing reading

books in different primary schools which was aided by Plan International

To conduct different trainings and facilitation of proposed projects a good example is the

training of ECCD care givers at Kasamwa ward and the aim if the training is to pull up

the mind of those ECCD care givers to recognize the importance ECCD centers and train

them on how to handle different children who learn in ECCD centers

To prepare weekly report and monthly report that include all activities which performed

in the whole month and also preparation of case studies of different situation not only that

but also the review of previous project reports.

Filing of different copies of payment voucher form in finance department and also

reviewing different payment voucher form between Plan and other organization for

example the payment voucher form between small industries development organization

(SIDO) and Plan International in implementing smokeless project by designing

smokeless stoves.

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2.3 Lesson learnt

Formulation of different project proposal by using program and project module which is the

software used by plan to write project proposal outline form not only that but also to monitor

and evaluate the project proposal especially those community based project.

Also I learned about how to conduct facilitation and trainings in different communities a good

example was the training that conducted at Kasamwa ward which aimed to train ECCD care

givers and community base, distribution agents all of these training was facilitated by field

interns and district facilitators.

To generate critical action plan of different trainings and bill of quantity that can be projected in

buying of different training and project facilities.

To control and manage field work in different rural areas because most of the Plan activities

during field study was based in field work visit.

I learned about how to work in synergic way that is, team work function and I understand that

nothing can happen in any organization if there is no team work function because the

collaborative joint action and working system among plan staffs made the organization to fulfill

the desired goals that is why people says “nothing can be achieved in any organization without

team work function”

Furthermore I learned how to cope with standard operating procedure of organization and how to

work in an organization with the regard of the organization culture and get experience of

working in any organization because every organization have got different culture so much that,

in order to work effectively and efficiency someone must cope with the organization culture.

2.4 Opportunities

Social capital, Plan international have got clear and high degree of social capital among the

community that it operating its activities that is why most of their project and activities become

successful in most of the community of Geita district. Furthermore social capital its most

important aspect in everywhere because it brings about lining between one part and another and

clear dissemination of information among the parts that is why there is no sustainable

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development in absence of social capital because social capital is the source of both human and

economic development in all rounds of the society.

Synergy, Also in this Plan International have got very good and quite joint work and cooperative

actions with the community and other stakeholders to the manner that their programs and

activities lasting up to now and most of their program projects runs because of the good

participation and synergic system which they have with the community.

Partnership, in this matter plan international partnering with both private and public partners

including Geita district authority in generating different project and conducting trainings not only

that but also community partnering with plan international in by involving them in

implementation of most plan projects all in all between plan, community and district authority

build strong working relationship to the extent that plan implement its project quite and proper

manner for example during the implementation of early childhood care and development project

plan partnering with district education department in training ECCD care givers .

Social services development, in this issue plan international provides and develops the existing

social services by restructuring and building different social services and giving seminars to

those who use social services such as water and education services for example the building of

Ihanamilo girls dormitory which accommodate 100 students was built to uphold the issue of

education development in rural areas in spite of this also plan international conduct different

seminar which enhance provision of good health especial reproductive health including

conducting of family planning trainings to the community base distribution agent (CBDA)

Ensuring household economic security and development trainings, this also is one among

opportunity provided by plan international to enhance household economic development and

these was ignite by the formulation of village small loans associations (VSLA) which gives

opportunities to the families to get loans and savings which boost up their economy which them

a step ahead towards development and wipe out household poverty. A good example in

Kasamwa ward 20% of the families have permanent membership in VSLA and their life to some

is well off compared to the families which have no membership to VSLA

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Sponsorships, in this plan international sponsoring child who lives in most vulnerable condition

and they sponsor them in terms of giving them education facilities and other things especially in

health matters and friend for them in different countries such as UK and Germany who aided

them. This make plan international to become the greater helper to those families which lives in

poor conditions and Plan Geita Program Unit has approximately enrolled more than 5000

sponsored children.

2.5 Challenges

2.5.1 Challenges/Constraints in the community

Lack of policy that support ECCD program, this is the problem in Tanzanian because most of

plan international activities centered in development and lack of early childhood care and

development cause most of Plan activities to lagged behind not only that but also the presence of

development policies contribute in small extent to campaign the essence of child poverty and do

not sensitize the real matters that affect ECCD program and this made ECCD centres to face the

challenge of poor infrastructure used in learning and teaching process that leads to un-conducive

and attractive environment for children to learn in Tanzania. The below picture portraits the true

situation of children who study at ECCD centers

Figure 1: children at ECCD center at Bung`wangoko village

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Low level of speed in rural development, in terms of education, infrastructure and health and

made most of plan activities to fail because government do not give any support to support even

a little bit the rate of facilitating development in rural areas, that is why most of the communities

are localities and they do not know what is going on in the real world of development, science

and technology all of these is because of poor government system, structure and poor policy

implementation.

Domestication of Millennium Development Goals, in this most of rural communities even

urban communities they do not know and are unaware of Millennium Development Goals to the

extent that the rate of development in the rural area are very low and their participation in

development matters is very poor also in this government do not take measure to train the

communities about the processes which exist behind the MDGs and to what extent MDGs

contribute to their own development and the formulation of different government and non-

government programs existing in their communities.

Child labor, still a big challenge in Geita district where by the presence small scale mines made

children to employed in these mines as local miners and the people are reluctant with children

who worked as local miner and the do know the real side effect that could happen in their health

system and the matter of child labor is the outcome of the child poverty because of the presence

of chronic and absolute poverty existing in their communities which forced themselves to

employed as local miners. The table below shows child labor trend in Geita

Situation of child Labor in Geita

Age Non -Seasonal

Employment

Seasonal Fulltime

employment

Seasonal Available

Seeking

work

Available not

seeking jobs

5 28 664 1,585. 211 14 185

6 14 696 1,574. 227 14 329

7 29 779 1,746. 483 71 270

8 - 793 1,504. 369 28 215

Table 1: the above table shows child labor situation trend in Geita district

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2.5.2 Challenges/constraints in an organization

There are little or lack of knowledge to the community of what plan does to their community that

is why in some of the projects there is pseudo participation of the community in implementing

those projects.

Another is the delay of information from community volunteers(CV) who assisting Plan to

accomplish their tasks and this is applied when community volunteer do not work properly in

collecting sponsorship latter and bring them to the office for further progress to the country

office and this made misunderstanding between community volunteer, community development

facilitator and sponsorship office because the delay made these department to become

misunderstand.

Also the change of program projects without disseminating information to the community

about those changes that’s why new projects become strange thing to the community and the

community quest about the last one also this is still a challenge to the organization and

community at large.

Bureaucratic procedures still a big problem in Plan International and this made most of field

activities to delay because there is a lot of procedure to be followed when someone wants to go

to the field and this makes most of trainings seminars participant to contend because they reach

to seminar early while Plan staffs reaches very late so that in order to solve this problem the

administration should look upon bureaucratic procedure which is very easy to be passed when

someone wants to go to the field or any activities related to the field activities

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CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Conclusion

In short plan international is one among international organizations which support different

communities in bringing about sustainable community development in all sphere of development

including socio-economic sphere not only that but also to fight against child poverty, child

violence and child abuse in collaboration with both government and communities.

3.1 Recommendations

Poverty is the big problem in Tanzania and development is the matter of everyone in the

community to ensure that poverty is non existence problem in Tanzania.

Government

Government should increase the rate of transferring development in rural areas and also facilitate

the development programs operates in different areas through effective implementation of public

policies to enhance sustainable rural development for both human development and economic

development.

Community

Community should have active participation in all programs that boost up development in their

respective areas and also community must have sound and reasonable measures to the local

authority if the existing leadership in their community proved failure especially in the matter of

bringing about their sustainable community development.

Non-governmental organization(CBOs, CSOs and FBOs)

Nothing can facilitate and increase the rate of development in today’s Tanzania if all of these

non-governmental organizations are not work and participate effectively in development

activities because they are the eye and ears of donors in bringing about development in different

communities. So much that non-governmental organizations should participate effectively in

matters of development in all rounds of Tanzanians communities.

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REFERENCES

Plan website: www.plan_intenational.org

Plan Tanzania country strategic plan (CSP) (2002)

Plan Tanzania country strategic plan (CSP) (2010-2015)

The Tanzania National Plan of Action for Most Vulnerable Children (2006)

Plan Child Protection Policy (2010).

Tanzania Child Development Policy (1996).

Rural Development Strategy Report (2001)

Tanzania Community Development Policy (TCDP) (1996)

Judith L.E & Mayer G.R (2000)., Early Childhood Counts (A programme Guide on Early

childhood Care for Development), West company, USA: