The organisation "Man Alive Outreach Network" (MANO) is located at the Kilimanjaro region in Moshi / Tanzania and deals with awareness campaigning and support of victims of drug abuse, HIV and prostitution.

Due to missing job opportunities, lots of young people feel they don't have any perspective and therefore consume drugs. A few years ago, the age of starting with drugs was estimated to be around 12 – 14 years; nowadays drug consumption starts even much earlier. Many primary school kids regularly consume Marihuana or sniff glue. Secondary schools are often center for dealing and consumption of drugs, including hard drugs.

Officially, almost 9 % of the Tanzanian population is infected by HIV, but it is assumed, that in particular regions and population groups, the rate is actually a lot higher. Especially in the rural population of Tanzania, there is almost no awareness and knowledge about HIV; irrational, superstitious beliefs about HIV are helping the disease to spread.

Within the cities, HIV is being passed on primarily through prostitution. It is estimated that around 50% of the Tanzanian prostitutes are infected with HIV. And the number of prostitutes is increasing: for lots of young women, prostitution is the only way to make a living, and at the same time many unemployed men kill their leisure time in company of prostitutes.

To fight these conditions, MANO is committed to the following activities:

1. HIV

 

a) Identifying reasons why women become sex workers and why many African men spend their spare time with prostitutes

b) Information and education for prostitutes about HIV

c) Informing about alternative ways to earn a living, without prostitution

 

MANO is an umbrella NGO cooperating with many other NGOs and local initiatives. It is being directed by Gabriel, a social worker who is doing this work out of mere conviction without financial interests. He is in constant touch with a large amount of initiatives from the whole Kilimanjaro region and exactly knows their needs. He will probably place you as a volunteer/intern directly into one or several of these initiatives, and will still stay in touch with you to assist you.

 

An example of such an initiative is the Jipe Mojo Women Group. Jipe Mojo has been founded in November 2007. From initially 15 members it grew to 32 persons (28 women an 4 men). The main goal of the group is to counsel people who are living with HIV/AIDS. They are being given help and the hope that it is possible to move ahead even in such a difficult situation of life. Twice per week, the members are meeting to exchange ideas and to encourage themselves. Every morning, there are English classes arranged by the group which are being attended by children who for some reason don’t go to any school. Further, members of the group are visiting HIV victims several days per week. They are meeting not only sick members of the group, but also HIV patients which are not belonging to Jipe Mojo.

 

To improve the financial situation of the group, a chicken farming project had been started, chickens are raised and chicken food is being sold. In September 2009 our volunteer Jan from Germany further started the project Matumaini (=Hope). He wrote an article about the women for the regional newspaper of his home town in Germany asking for donations. From the funds being generated he gave a micro finance aid of around 50 € to each woman to be able to start some business activity to generate income for their daily needs. Most women bought goods such as food, clothes or shoes at the wholesale market and resold them with some profit in their neighbourhood, starting their own micro-business.

 

Volunteers and interns who are proactive and have their own ideas are very welcome to be part of MANO and its associated local initiatives.