The Impact of Energy Use on Poor Urban Livelihoods in ... - DfID

<strong>The</strong> impact <strong>of</strong> energy use on poor urban livelihoods in Arusha, Tanzania,
resulting from globalisation and structural adjustment programmes. <strong>The</strong> increase in
widowhood appears, in large part, to result from the impact <strong>of</strong> HIV/AIDS.
HIV/AIDS
During 2002 the number infected with HIV/AIDs reached 2.2 million (6.5% <strong>of</strong>
population). 41 A government agency (TACAIDS) was established in 2001 and the
increased percentage <strong>of</strong> the government budget allocated to this agency in 2003/04
indicates the seriousness <strong>of</strong> the HIV/AIDS problem. (Mramba:03) 42
3.8.3 Education and literacy
<strong>The</strong>re is evidence that entrenched traditional patriarchal attitudes permeate the
culture and restrict girls’ access to education at all levels. (THDR:99 and authors’
fieldwork). In 2002, in Arusha approximately two thirds <strong>of</strong> those deemed illiterate
were female.
3.8.4 Productive role
<strong>The</strong> 1970s and 80s saw a marked increase in the economic participation rate <strong>of</strong>
women from 7% (1971) to 65% (1990). (Trip:94) In all probability this rate will have
increased still further since then due to the growing pressures <strong>of</strong> structural
adjustment and globalisation in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Young and old women are engaged in beer brewing, operating small mobile food
stalls selling doughnuts, peanuts, and ice cream, gardening, poultry keeping, pig
keeping and selling charcoal and firewood. (Koda: 95)
Finance and credit
As head <strong>of</strong> the household, husbands usually control household finances.
Female entrepreneurs working in the informal sector have little access to credit due
to the limited size <strong>of</strong> their ventures, lack <strong>of</strong> collateral and their inability to generate
savings. (Omari and Koda:91) Although some women in towns use formal savings
and credit societies and postal savings accounts the major saving mode for most
women is upatu and kibati 43 .
Power relations
Women's increasing economic responsibilities and power fails to relieve them <strong>of</strong> their
productive role. With the result that they have an increased workload. As explained
by Koda (91) men's tendency to ignore household responsibilities has not been
sufficiently challenged.
<strong>The</strong> division <strong>of</strong> labour, development <strong>of</strong> the labour force (male and female) and
changes in the decision-making process at the household level are key to the
alleviation <strong>of</strong> poverty. For this reason the authors support Biermann's (97) plea for
more research into understanding household allocation <strong>of</strong> resources, in order to
enable policy makers to devise social policies which will affect changes at household
level for the better.
41 <strong>The</strong>se figures are based on the number <strong>of</strong> people that are tested at health centres and hospitals
42 0.5% in2001; 0.4 in 2002; 1.6% in 2003. Mramba (2003)
43 See Glossary
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Development Planning Unit, UCL London
Dr. Sheilah Meikle and Patrice North