Community Research and Development Services -- CORDS

1.1 Vision

Since its inception, CORDS developed and sharpened its vision of a desired futuree. CORDS envisages a pastoral society that has a strong voice and a wide range of choices over its own development and destiny. CORDS believes in a society in which people are governing, self-defining, self-representing, self-developing, and self-determining; a society in which all persons have legal recognition of ownership of their own natural resources, a society in which its members have the right to development and live long, healthy, productive and dignified lives and sustaining livelihoodss of their own choice; that their social, economic, political and spiritual rights be enshrined in the constitution and other governing legal instruments.

1.2 Mission

The mission of CORDS or the fundamental purpose of CORDS is to enhance sustainable pastoral livelihoods. CORDS Mission is:- To work for holistic social development and to fight against all forms of injustices, oppression, gender imbalances, poverty, hunger, ignorance and disease.

Map Location

PASTORALIST COMMUNITY RADIO PROGRAMME

Programme Background

In 2002, Community Research and Development Services (CORDS) have initiated a pastoralist community radio programme designed to inform pastoralist and bring them out of isolation. The present project aims to provide such information, stimulate debate within pastoralist communities and contribute to the development of their capacity to claim their rights, reducing their vulnerability, improving their working and living conditions and enhancing their status. The contents of the radio messages include:- the legal status of pastoralist land claims in Tanzania, general public policies, level of education in the present legal regime, development and promotion of more equitable and sustainable land tenure systems, awareness raising activities with pastoralist communities and their leaders, support for pastoralist communities in advocacy and pressing issues.

Area of operation:

The programme is operating in the pastoralists maasai, Hunters and gatherers areas. The regions includes Arusha, Manyara, Morogoro, Mbeya, Tanga, Pwani and Kilimanjaro.

Overall aim:

To integrate information fully into pastoral development processes through coordinating initiatives that inform pastoralists about issues of primary concern with the aim of reducing their vulnerability, improving their working and living conditions to enhancing their status.

Objectives

To inform pastoral communities in Tanzania about issues affecting their development,
To inform pastoral communities about land issues and lawsrelated to land,
To stimulate communities to take initiatives and engage in discussion with other bodies and authorities on land issues, claims and disputes about natural resources utilization and managements,
To create within pastoral communities a body of awareness and of interest in resource tenure security and the role of the legal system in the development of pastoral lands,
To explore and develop replicable methodologies for making culturally appropriate, and effective radio programmes with participation and editorial/ contents inputs from pastoralist community,
To create within communities a body of awareness and of interest in mass media and community media as tool of empowerment,
To support pastoral communities to participate in decision-makingon issues affecting their live.

Activities

In order to meet the above mentioned objectives and bring about the desired outputs, CORDS plans to undertake the following activities:

To produce at least a series of 52 community radio programmes annually of 15 minutes each, aimed at educating the pastoralist communities of Tanzania.
To disseminate the programmes widely over a period of at least three years, by well-advertised and broadcast on public radio (Swahili service) and in tape cassette form for NGOs, community groups cultural groups, educators etc.
To create a body of scripts and other materials that can be used for later series of programmes in different other languages.
To gather feedback on programmes and inputs to programmes through listening and learning/focus groups in different parts of the pastoral community.
To monitor and evaluate the impact of the programmes and disseminate the project experience among NGOs, other media agencies and community empowerment.
In addition CORDS will develop and distribute printed materials to complement the programmes.

Main Achievements

52 radio programmes have been produced yearly for the last five years
Level of awareness increased as a result of the programme to many people
Security of resource tenure has increased in some areas
Pastoralists participation in decision making processes has increased compared to past years.
Media engagement by pastoralists to address/air out their voices, concerns and views has increased.
Information gap has been reduced