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CMI REPORT DECENTRALISATION AND GENDER R 2008: 9
differences, all councillors cooperate and work together for development - party politics do not
interfere with development work. Councillors from the opposition underline that they have to forget
their political differences until the next election, and that they are “cooperating as a team”.
The councillors have been actively involved in public meetings and campaigns to create awareness
on the necessity of women in the reproductive age group to attend reproductive health education
conducted by health personnel. There has also been a media-campaign telling women to come and
give birth at the health centres. The councillors were involved in these campaigns also. The female
councillors were in the fore front of this campaign.
The campaign meetings also aimed to educate pregnant mothers to attend antenatal care services,
and the necessity of delivering their children at health facilities, where they are supported by trained
health personnel or trained TBAs.
Cooperation with local communities and TBAs
The full council meeting minutes are available to all citizens at the District Resource Centre The
centre is open every day from 9:00 to 15:00.
At Kisaka dispensary, the research team was informed that the Dispensary Committee which is
composed by 12 members (7 men and 5 women) selects the village health workers. Normally two
Village Health Workers and two Traditional Birth Attendants from each village are trained on
MCH/RCH issues. The VHW and TBAs also work at the dispensary twice per week. The VHW and
TBA are supposed to work as a team, because in most cases, the TBAs are illiterate. The VHWs
assists them in keeping their records. Each VHW and TBA has a register. When a TBAs escorts a
pregnant women to a health facility, she takes part in the delivery.
When the dispensary health personnel are not present (some times it happens that both staff
members are away), they leave the dispensary key to the Village Health Worker so that in case of
emergency she/he can use the radio call to call the ambulance.
5.3 Cooperation with other actors
The role of traditional authorities
Some years ago there were a lot of conflicts among the different ethnic groups in the district,
including theft of cows and fighting. The elders from the different ethnic groups came together and
decided on methods of conflict resolution, among them the use of punishments. They have a curse
towards those who starts conflicts. They also informed the team that people who create conflicts
will be isolated from their community. No-one will be allowed to visit them, and if you do, you
yourself will be isolated. The conflict makers are not allowed to fetch water from the well and they
cannot go to the market. The whole family can be isolated and this puts pressure on the family to
control conflict-elements inside their family. The verdict by the elders is stronger than a high-court
ruling and it is respected. After this intervention all forms of criminality has been reduced.
Relationship with international donors
SIDA is a major donor to Serengeti district. This donor sponsors a District Development
Programme (DDP) which cooperates with the Community Health Rehabilitation and Promotion
Program. DDP is implemented through the government structures, but there is an external technical
advisor who supports the local authorities.
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