Effectiveness of Civil Society Organizations in advocating Change in the Society: A Case of Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA)
The study was carried out to examine the effectiveness of civil society organizations in advocating change in the society. A case of TAMWA. Specific objectives of the study were to identify areas TAMWA has been successful in advocating change in society, to assess the mechanisms used by TAMWA in advocating change in society and to identify factors limiting TAMWA in advocating change in society. The study used case study research design and 35 respondents were sampled. The data were collected through documentary sources, questionnaires, and observation and it was analyzed using SPSS. The study found that, TAMWA has an impact in advocating change in the society. These include women empowerment in getting their rights, fighting against domestic violence, and change girl right to education, increasing visibility of women in political leadership, increasing the number and performance of girls in school and raising awareness to the community to demand their rights. Despite of the success of TAMWA in advocating change in the society, it faces some limitations. These are operational related limitations which included financial constraint and lack of government support. Also community related limitations which included low level of community awareness and cultural barriers. The study recommends that, the government should formally recognize the contributions made by civil society organizations and encourage and facilitate an active participation of civil society organizations in the national and international policy formulation and reforms. Moreover, TAMWA should have different sources of income so as not to rely on donor’s funds and members. Key words; TAMWA, CSO, Empowerment, Change, NGOs.
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