Women’s participation in annual village meetings to discuss development priorities and budgets in Miguruwe Village, Kilwa District, Lindi Region, is yielding tangible gains in business, agriculture and education.

Through active engagement in the meetings, women are now able to articulate their priorities, with village leaders increasingly listening to and supporting their proposals—an outcome that was rare in the past. Miguruwe Ward Executive Officer Mariam Mkalipa said that greater awareness of women’s rights and responsibilities has empowered women to access loans from various sources, including the Kilwa District Council. 

She noted that nine women’s groups are currently benefiting from loans and are engaged in business and farming activities. “We are now able to take loans after understanding our rights and becoming self-aware. Before the educational intervention, community members used to threaten us, saying that if we took loans we would be imprisoned,” she said.

She added that fear has since disappeared and that women are now in their fourth consecutive year of accessing district loans. Women are also benefiting more directly from agricultural activities and are now fully aware of income generated from crop sales. According to Mkalipa, transparency has improved following reforms by the Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Society, which posts farmers’ names and bank account details on public notice boards after crop sales.

“Nowadays, men no longer hide proceeds from crop sales as they did in the past, because everyone can see who sold crops and how much was earned,” she explained. Before receiving education on women’s rights, she said, women farmed but rarely benefited financially. In many cases, sales proceeds were deposited into accounts owned by men, leaving women unaware of how much income their labour generated.

“That has changed. Today, we know our rights. We sell our crops, run businesses and benefit directly,” she said. The transformation has been supported by the Kilwa Local Rights Programme, funded by ActionAid Kilwa, which provides education on women’s rights, leadership and social accountability.

Prior to the programme, women rarely attended village meetings and were often informed of decisions after they had already been made. Cultural norms discouraged them from participating, with men frequently insisting they remain at home.

Mkalipa said women’s participation has also led to improvements in education infrastructure. Miguruwe Primary School has secured funding for the construction of seven new classrooms from the village budget after women raised concerns about dilapidated learning facilities during village meetings.

“We presented the issue to village leaders after identifying the poor condition of classrooms, and they allocated funds for new construction,” she said. Under the programme, women across Kilwa District have received training on women’s rights, self-awareness, access to finance, responsibilities, and monitoring village development projects. The training has also addressed gender-based violence against women and girls.

“As women in Miguruwe Village, we are pleased to see positive changes in our community. Cases of early marriage and teenage pregnancy have declined significantly,” she said.

She attributed the progress to the Kilwa Local Rights Programme, which has transformed women’s mindsets and enabled them to participate actively in village general meetings and decision-making processes.

Additionally, through skills gained from the New Hope for Women in Kilwa Platform, in collaboration with ActionAid Kilwa, women are now able to advise village leaders and ward councilors on how to implement development projects effectively. Women have also become more knowledgeable about accessing agricultural extension services and are increasingly confident in demanding and securing their rights.