Today for the Global Solidarity Challenge I headed out of the downtown and away from the high rises to Gongo La Mboto market. Far from being well off, its one of the cheapest communities to live in that still has relatively direct access to the city core so lots of people live out that way.


At the market I met with Sihaba, a 34 year old trader who runs a business selling drinks and plantains. Sihaba started trading four years ago. She is a single mother with two children- a girl of thirteen and a boy of seven. Her decision to trade was simple, she needed money but had no real skills. Trading was the obvious choice so she started to look for a good location. It was her brother that told her to look in Gongo La Mboto market. She started off by selling plastic bags to traders and customers in the market, but since bags sell for less than $0.01 she wasn't getting ahead. She switched to selling plantains and eventually got enough funds together to start selling cold drinks.

Because she mentioned her brother, I asked Sihaba if her family had helped her set up her business. Her response was that they didn't offer and she didn't ask. Its not uncommon for women to struggle with finding support for starting business even within their own families. Women aren't seen as a "worthwhile" business investment. So its not surprising that Sihaba has had to make it own her own.

Sihaba actually has a great location in the market. Its a proper stall but its mainly empty. She wishes that it could be more like what we might call a "corner store." Her dream is for it to be stocked with everything from food goods to drinks and cleaning supplies. However, to get the capital to invest in all those goods is way beyond her means. However, next week she and all the other women traders will get back their years worth of savings from their saving and credit group so there is hope for growth in the future.


Unlike Rose, from yesterday, Sihaba is more focused on making ends meet. But then she doesn't have the support of a husband to help share the financial burden and let her invest in her business. Right now the fact that she doesn't need to relying on anyone else and is able to send her two kids to school is a lot. Being able to stand on your own two feet is no small thing. She is someone who does what needs to be done and finds a way to make it work. Market trading has given her the financial means to be independent and make her own decisions. That is a lot of be proud of.

Please help support the great work of VIDEA and its partners like Equality to Growth by supporting me through my solidarity challenge!
This is the first day of the Global Solidarity Challenge 2014. As promised I'm spending time every day with market women this week. Unfortunately, due to the injuring my shoulder, I won't be able to do all day in the market, but I will still take this week to introduce you to these amazing women.

So today I headed out to Kisutu market, a very old market. Its located near the centre of town, making it one of the better off areas. However, that doesn't mean that it much nicer inside than any of the other markets. Walking inside, its hot, dark and the lack of air keeps the musty smell mixed with rotting vegetables pretty much constant. There is hope that it will be rebuilt, but there is always a problem of where people work during construction, especially because construction tends not to proceed very quickly. So for now they are all making do.


We went to the market because one of my coworker was conducting legal empowerment sessions in the market. Taking advantage of a savings group meeting, our Legal Aid officer, along with a couple of paralegals, gave women an overview of the requirements for official marriage in Tanzania. In the word of the women's association chairperson "Marriage can be a dangerous thing for women. We should all learn as much as we can about the laws."


I got the chance to sit down and chat with Rose, the chairperson for Kisutu market and hear her story about about working in the market, which she gave me permission to share with all of you.

Rose has been working in Kisutu for 14 years. After getting married, she realized that she couldn't expect her husband to provide everything for her family. At first she did small catering out of her home but eventually took the stall in Kisutu because she thought the visibility of being in a public market would help her to better advertise her catering.

Now Rose has seven girls working with her. She sells food in the market but also delivers meals to people in nearby houses and businesses as well as contracting for events. Recently, she took a micro-loan to acquire supplies to improve her business, but it was very risky. The institution only gives loans to groups and if one of the women fails to pay her share, all the others have to chip in or they will all loose their investments. She says she wouldn't take a loan micro-loan again and hopes that the savings and credit group will help her grow her businesses without the fear of loosing what she gains.

Working in the market environment is sometimes an advantage and sometimes a barrier. One one hand it gives Rose access to a lot of customers because of its location. But sometimes when prospective clients come and visit her and see the environment where she works, they doubt that she will be able to deliver good services. Rose says she and her girls have cooked at weddings where they've fed 800 guests but looking at the stall she's working in, its can be hard to believe she's so successful.

What drives Rose in her business? The future for her two children. Rose says she and her husband work extra hard so they can send their children to an international school (a good quality private school). Their daughter just sat her final exams and placed in the top 10% in Tanzania. She plans to become a doctor or a pilot some day.

I'm in awe of what Rose has accomplished and I think the women in Kisutu market is lucky to have her as a leader and mentor. For me, Rose's story is what I wish the story was for all market women. Its not without challenges and hardship but the market has been a step up for her. Because the market should be a place of opportunity for women. It should help them grow their income. And ultimately  it should give women the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and provide their children with a better and brighter future.


This was an awesome first day and please go to my fundraising page to help support VIDEA and their amazing partners.
We had a pretty banger week at EfG. Our Executive Director won the Martin Luther King Jr Drum Major Award from the American Embassy and then we had our women's day celebration. Its important to stop sometimes and celebrate what has been accomplished and these occasions gave everyone an opportunity to do exactly that.

The celebration for the award included a ceremony at the American Embassy (the lack of pictures from the ceremony can be blamed on the security at the Embassy). Our director took this moment to highlight informal sector women and also call upon all sectors of society to seek out avenues to making small trading a step out of poverty.

Our celebration for International Women's day had a bit more locally flavoured. We held the event at Tabata Muslim Market. Key to celebration (and really any celebration we've done) is the inclusion of traditional performance groups. These groups are dance, acrobatics and theatre all rolled into one.

The acrobatics are something I don't remember from my other travels in South Africa, but I've seen them at our events and other events throughout Tanzania. They include contortion and balance acts

leaps and flips...

Some pretty interesting dual dance moves. This woman was dancing with one of the male performers twisted around her waist.

And of course, if there is dancing everyone else needs to join in.

We took the opportunity to explain the award to our traders, and how the Executive Director accepted it in recognition of women's traders. Our women were pretty thrilled to the extent that they actually picked her up and carried her through the crowd (sort of like a coach after a winning game!)


This week also marked the completion of our strategic plan. Hopefully all this energy can carry everyone forward to get it up and going.


Last July, I and my good friend @AliaK_ spent one week living on $1.25 a day to raise awareness on poverty and inequality worldwide and raised $1650 for the Victoria International Development and Education Association. It was a crazy week of trying to cook cheap food, feeling pretty hungry and realizing that we both would be very bad at being poor.

The Global Solidarity Challenge is co-ordinated by VIDEA (my Canadian partner organization). For one week, people from all over Canada raise awareness and support for ending extreme poverty.

Your Long Distance Neighbour will be spending five days this week, getting down and dirty in the markets, working alongside women market traders, sharing their stories and learning from their life experience and wisdom. I'm in for some pretty long days and I will try and share as much as I can about my experience with you all through this blog.

My goal is to raise $500 dollars during this challenge. The money that I raise will go to VIDEA to support programs that build partnerships between Canada and local African organizations to end poverty and make a more just and equitable world for everyone.

We hope you are interested in supporting my activities. To donate please visit our Fundraising Page on the Global Solidarity website and help us reach our goal.




Disclaimer:  I do not get any money from this venture nor does this blog. This is just one of the ways I hope to give back the Canadian community and overseas organizations that are supporting me in all my work.  
Sometimes, you have to write the story in front of you. Have been madly trying to figure out a short post I could do as the writing chaos of my job right now is leaving me disinclined to blog. Luckily, a find of a whole bunch of new ethical fashion people on twitter this morning provided me with a little inspiration. I'm taking an easy out today and sharing with you all a list of some of my recent finds in the world wide-web, mostly to do with ethical fashion.

On April 24th, the anniversary of collapse of the Bangladesh Factory, Fashion Revolution is organizing a “Who Made Your Clothes” online event to encourage people to think about where their clothes come from. Participating is simple, photograph the label of at least one item of clothing your wearing with the hashtag #inside! I'll be joining and you should too!

Online ethical fashion, accessory a shop in the UK. It also has a running blog which I really enjoy 

I found this through the blog of {Think} Boutique. This combines my love of mismatching with my love of asymmetry... must own a pair!

Bags, scarves and top. All ethically made and fair-trade out of Nepal. Can personally attest to their products as I got one of their bags for Christmas!







Will be back soon with more Dar stories!
Last weekend, I hit the one month point of my return to Tanzania. While I was traveling through Canada, there were a number of things I really missed about Tanzania. Some of them came as no surprise (sun, beach, warmth!), others took me by surprise.

What to Eat?


Before returning to Canada, I really missed the variety of food. But, when I was back home, I actually felt rather overwhelmed by all the choice. I would freeze up trying to make a choice from a menu (and in grocery stores and department stores). Turns out that choice can be overrated and I'm perfectly happy to buy my breakfast from the same Chapati lady everyday I can.   

Nice Place but I Wouldn't Want to Live There


When I first got back to Tanzania, I stayed two weeks in the fancy part of town. This is an area I visit all the time to get a bit of an escape from the crazy city life. The peninsula, as its affectionately known, is full of higher end shops and restaurants and dominated by the expats. However I didn't feel like I was really back in Dar es Salaam until I hit my crazy market neighbourhood - Karikoo. Its all what you're used to I guess and the peninsula feels like a holiday to me, rather than my daily existence.

Love Dar, Hate the Traffic


Transport can be a love/hate relationship but its a rare day I have to wait for a bus. Though sometimes buses take a while to fill-up, at least I can sit down while waiting. And, if you are going to be stuck in traffic, why not be only paying 25 cents? And anyone who follows my twitter feed knows, that some of my favourite/funny moments happen while riding the bus.
Where you trade in the market has a big impact on how successful your business is. This is even more important in the really big markets. Two weeks ago, several of the women vegetable traders in Ilala market were shifted from their spots to a new location on the outskirts of the market. They had been petitioning the market committee to place all vegetable sellers closer to the other food vendors so that customers would have easier access.

This move was not what they had in mind.
The new location of the sellers was muddy with pools of standing water (even though it hasn't rained in days). Stalls are located along the edge of drainage ditches that haven't been cleaned in ages. We watched as one woman lost some of her pumpkins when they rolled down into the dirty ditches.


Some women have tried to move to one of the side-streets, but they're paying double taxes as the street committee and the market committee disagree about whose territory this is.

So what happened? Reports from the women say that they were moved by the market committee after a group of tomato vendors from another market bribed the committee and officials to take their place.

This sort of corruption does not make the news, but it does have a major impact on women's lives. This is why working with market women isn't just about economic empowerment and business skills. That is not enough. Business plans and good accounting are great, but if your business can be uprooted at any time you can't get ahead. Knowing your rights, knowing where to go and how to demand accountability from the very people you elected to be in charge, is just as important.

And these women are fighting back. They've mobilized and begun an organized response working from the market committee up to the municipal government. Its probably going to be a battle - no one wants to claim responsibility or even knowledge of what happened. But then, knowing your rights doesn't mean you automatically win. Its about having good tools and the confidence to be able to fight. And the 20 women who are showing up in the councillors' offices know the system, they know their rights and are there to get answers. I say more power to them.