Children Cheshire in markets

In Tanzania the proportion of people engaged in the informal sector has increased rapidly whereby the informal sector employs more than 83% of women than men 71%. These women are mostly engaged in food vending, public market businesses like food vending, selling vegetables, used clothes and small scale perishable farm goods. Others are engaged in self employed street vendors, market traders and home based workers. Women’s reasons for engaging in informal sector businesses are generally linked to improving family livelihoods, mostly in a context where their spouse’s income is insufficient to meet all household needs.  

Women are more burdened by household activities like child care works despite their other engagements in income generating activities. Childcare obligations interfere women's ability to work and can drive most families with young children towards financial hardships. The ECPP -Childcare Crisis Report (2019) states women spend a minimum of 4 hours per day for childcare works compared to men that spend only 1 hour. Occasionally, women seek help from neighbors to take care of their children when they are engaging in market businesses but in most cases they have no one to leave their children with; hence they tend to go with their children to their businesses in markets. In Tanzanian context, markets are crowdie, dusty, noisy and unfriendly for childhood development thus, there is a great need to establish children Cheshire centers nearer market places which are affordable, disability inclusive infrastructure and teaching and learning materials where children can have a good child care services and the burden of child care to women traders can be minimized.   

The government of Tanzania through its respective Ministry of Community Development Gender Elderly and Special groups’ in 2019 conducted a survey on economic empowerment of women and poverty eradication revealed that 60% of Tanzanian women live under absolute poverty among rural and urban population hence this solution intends to reduce burden of care works to women through the availability of Cheshire center for children in market areas.

Equality for Growth (EfG) in collaboration with the government ministries, children rights organization and the National Association of Women market traders together with other development partners will initiate the establishment of children Cheshire in market areas. This solution intends to reduce the burden of child care to women traders and ensure a friendly environment to children whose parents work in informal sector businesses. The initiative will model a children Cheshire center in two areas, one being in urban markets and the other in rural markets.

 This initiative contributes to the National Plan of Action to End Violence against Women and Children (NPA-VAWC) 2017/18 – 2021/22 objectives number three (3) “Ensuring safe environment for women and children” and objective number four (4) “Strengthened family and parent support.” This initiative will support government initiatives to develop a National guideline for the establishment of children Cheshire centers in market areas to be used by all development partners.  

The primary beneficiaries of this solution include; women informal sector traders and children whose parents work in the respective markets. These beneficiaries are currently working in markets with unfriendly environment, staying together with their children within the premises, increasing risks of children health and the burden of care work.

Secondary beneficiaries include; The Ministry of Community Development Gender Elderly and Special needs who will benefit from the development of a National Guideline of Children Cheshire centers in market places. The guideline will incorporate all criteria of establishment and maintenance of the centers.

Equality for Growth (EfG) has been working closely with the informal traders especially women market traders, for the past 12 years. With the current experience on dealing with the informal sector challenges through different programs, EfG also has skilled personnel that are familiar with the informal sector needs and has worked in reducing household poverty and making sure traders conduct their business in safe and secured environment. This engagement will continue to benefit women market traders and vendors who face the challenges of raising children while in business areas (market) women are often forced to close their businesses temporarily or completely because the working environment is not conducive, especially for their children.

Since 2008, EfG has a platform of more than ten thousand, four hundred (10,400) women market traders, working to raise awareness about women’s socio-economic rights in informal sector businesses, addressing gender based violence that impacts women’s businesses, enhance women’s ability to organize and advocate for change, address gender-related barriers in markets and foster interaction between women traders and local authorities linking with decision makers. This collaborative approach, EfG works in close collaboration with our beneficiaries to empower women traders to mobilize themselves, have a collective voice and raise awareness of the issues they face.

Also EfG maintains a strong focus and extensive experience towards reforms on policy and practical needs of women working in the informal sector and ensures women issues are part of the local and national agenda in Tanzania.

Equality for Growth (EfG) is a rights-based NGO seeking to empower Tanzania’s informal sector women. EfG began in 2008, since then it has sought for voice, visibility and rights of women who operate in the Tanzania’s informal economy.

EfG would like to become a Solver to connect with solver teams and continue to improve the lives of women informal sector traders in Tanzania.

EfG was established and registered in Tanzania as of 6th August 2008 with registration No. 66935 and later in 2011 the organization acquired a certificate of NGO Compliance No. 00001544. The targeted beneficiaries of EfG’s work are self-employed women workers, in both the formal and informal sectors.

We envision vibrant and economically empowered informal sector women. We believe working spaces can be liberated from gender, legal and economic barriers and informal sector women can operate in the absence of all forms of exploitation.

We empower Tanzania’s informal sector women to increase their income and reduce household poverty through access to legal and human rights education, business opportunities, capacity building and active engagement in policy and practice reforms

Establishment of Children Cheshire within market premises is necessary for parents particularly women to work and earn an income because child care works has become an increasingly crushing burden to women with young children in their families. Women engaged in informal sector businesses are at a reproductive age; hence child care works is part and parcel of their daily responsibilities. Over the past two decades, the cost of child care centers has doubled, while income of women traders is insufficient, and some decide to make the tradeoff of leaving the workforce and remain at home.

The Children Cheshire center in markets will target women traders who have no one to leave their children with at home. The center will provide affordable and subsidized child care targeting low income families with young children. The centers will be under full supervision of market committees under Local Government Authorities – Community Development officers who will coordinate all activities relating to children’s welfare. The care givers will be trained special skills for early childhood development of children from the age of zero (0) to ten years (10) who the age for early adolescent. Informal sector workers’ whose children will be enrolled,  will be obliged to contribute a small amount of money as daily fee for child care so as to support transport for child care workers and wellbeing of children while around the center.

Hence, this solution envisions a Children Cheshire in market areas which is affordable, reliable child care, where women would have more time and concentration to their businesses, diversify to increase their earnings and seek new business opportunities due to the reduced burden of child care works. 

Children Cheshire center in market places will reduce the burden of child care works to women informal sector traders and increase access to reliable and affordable childcare services around market areas.

Women will have enough time to participate in their businesses,  increase economic security and spur economic growth of informal sector traders: Overall, accessing childcare services would increase women ability to work, promote greater family economic stability and, in turn, child well-being. In addition children Cheshire in market areas will reduce expenses associated with childcare and often parents will have more time to perform business activities and decrease financial vulnerability.

This solution will prioritize collaborating with Government authorities, relevant ministries, NGOs, CBOs, FBOs working on enhancing child rights and childcare programs and services to ensure safety and security of children within the Cheshire centers.  

The solution can be evaluated using the following indicators;

1. Development of National guideline to regulate establishment and coordination of children Cheshire in market areas

2. Number of women traders who are trained to advocate for children Cheshire centers in market areas  

3. Number of Local Government Authority (LGA) officials who have received capacity building sessions on how to reduce child care burden to women traders and how to implement the guideline concerning children Cheshire in markets

4. Number of visits done by women traders to lobby to different stakeholders, government to improve public facilities to women  and cooperate companies to seek for support of children Cheshire in market areas

5. Percentage (%) of income increased after the reduced burden of child-care works to women informal sector traders

6. Percentage (%) of women who have improved productivity level in income generating activities 

7. Commitment of market authorities to delegate an area for children Cheshire center within market premises 

Equality for Growth collaborations and partnerships has enabled to accomplish our goals while tapping on the comparative advantage and distinctive ability and potential of our partners and beneficiaries. We shall continue to foster such engagements in this strategic period especially in open spaces including markets in regions of Tanzania that EfG have worked on. Internationally we will seek to forge such alliances to widen our learning scope and take advantage of available opportunities to enhance and advocate for change in the informal sector mostly markets.

Equality for Growth will utilize the opportunity that our target women have mobile phones, hence the solution will use these phones to enhance knowledge to women traders concerning access to business opportunities and to keep records of their businesses. Enhancement of financial management of women's saving and credit groups where they can access capital for expanding their businesses through introduction of ITC and capacitating women with skills to make continuous follow-up on their finances 

Teaching and learning materials in the children Cheshire centers will employ technology which will encourage children to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs and wants.  Design and Technology encourages children to learn to think and intervene creatively to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a group.

Diversity: Equality for Growth works taking into consideration the many differences of its staff, informal sector traders as beneficiaries and the community who are being involved through partnerships, awareness sessions, training and open dialogue sessions to stakeholders and traders.

Equity: We work to provide informal sector women with access to rights and business knowledge, opportunities, resources, and legal justice. Striving for working spaces to be liberated from all gender and economic barriers

We design our policies, practices, and resources with the goal of providing people of all backgrounds a genuine opportunity to thrive. 

Inclusion: The solution has considered creating an environment that is free from all barriers and valued the needs of peoples with disabilities who need support of childcare work so that they can engage more in informal sector businesses effectively, moreover the children Cheshire centers will have friendly/inclusive environments for children with disabilities and all other special needs who will be enrolled to get quality child care according to their specific needs.

Women market traders have a great demand of children Cheshire center to support effective early childhood development and protect them from acts of violence that may occur in crowded areas such as markets. Overall, women market traders are having difficulty finding child care because their businesses earn low income that covers day to day household needs. These women find themselves taking their children to their business places (market) that lacks child care infrastructures but also serving their children in their working places reduces hygiene that discourages customers to purchase food products.

To accomplish establishment of children Cheshire in market places, EfG will conduct local fundraising for various stakeholders such as steel, cement, home furniture, children's sports, stakeholders whose women have been contributing to the growth and increase of their income and contributing to GDP as a company.

Children Cheshire will enhance the safety of children when their parents are in business/activities, the center will help business women breastfeeding have a special and safe breastfeeding area, the solution will help women entrepreneurs to increase efficiency in running their businesses through this will grow their businesses by increasing income and capital. Also the solution will ensure that children and women traders continue to receive appropriate rights and services within market areas.

Equality for Growth (EfG) will include several options to ensure organization financial sustainability as follows;

• Diversifying donors: EfG have developed a resource mobilization strategy that gives better understanding of our potential donors and their priority areas, also having various options in getting funds including local institutions, corporate houses, basket funding and individuals.
• Beneficiaries contributions: such as women market traders who have been trained and capacitated by EfG and become paralegals to continue providing free legal aid services to the communities
• Online Fundraising: This will help EfG reach a wider audience and individuals who will be motivated to fund our projects.
• In Kind donations: EfG will work closely and develop strong relationships with stakeholders, government officials, corporations and businesses individuals will provide EfG with goods or service such as office equipment, computers, and software or administrative and financial support will help in sustaining some of our project activities.

Amount in Tanzanian Shillings 

Support partners - DFID

Supported program - Voices for Visibility Project: EFG’s initiative and integrated approach towards organizing women traders in local markets.

2018-19 - 1,120,000,000

2020-22 - 359,947,522

Support partners - UN-Women Tanzania

Supported program - Protecting informal Women traders from violence against Women

2018-19 - 224,000,000

Support partners - UN-Women Trust Fund

Supported program - Protecting informal Women traders from violence against Women

2017 - 158,756,000

Support partners - Foundation for Civil Society (FCS)

Supported program - Promoting good governance & accountability – Local government level

2017 - 120,000,000

2018-19 - 100,000,000

Support partners -Netherlands Embassy

Supported program - Addressing GBV to informal Women market traders – Temeke district DSM

2018-19 - 34,400,000

Support partners - I4ID, Palladium Group

Supported program - Research on Women Urban Vendors – Mbeya city Council

2018-19 - 149,730,000

Support partners - Embassy of Finland

Supported program - Elimination of sexual and gender-based violence in the informal sector in Tanzania

2020-22 - 225,000,000

Support partners - APN African Philathropic Network (APN)

2020-22 - 21,000,000

Support partners - Twaweza East Africa

2020-22 - 120,000,000

Total funds 

2017 -        278,756,000

2018-19 -  1,628,130,000

2020-22 - 725,947,522