By Correspondent Abdala Sifi, Dodoma
The Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Dr. Dorothy Gwajima, has called on the secretariat coordinating the National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children (MTAKUWWA II) to accelerate the implementation of its responsibilities in order to ensure a reduction in such acts across the country.
Dr. Gwajima made the remarks on January 23, 2026 in Dodoma while chairing a meeting of MTAKUWWA II coordinators, which was conducted virtually and brought together ministry leaders as well as regional Community Development Officers and Social Welfare Officers.
The Minister explained that the Ministry has continued to work closely with sector ministries and development partners to coordinate the implementation of MTAKUWWA II (2024/25–2028/29), which has eight key areas of intervention.
These include strengthening household economic empowerment; addressing harmful cultural norms and traditions; promoting safe environments in public spaces and online; parenting, family support and relationships; enforcement and administration of laws; and the provision of services to victims and survivors of violence.
She added that in order to combat all forms of violence, programme coordinators must continue to provide public education at regional, district, ward and street/village levels so that communities understand the concept and the roles of MTAKUWWA committees at ward, village and street levels.
“I urge members of the MTAKUWWA committees and its Secretariat to strengthen communication systems and public information dissemination. This approach will enable continued responses to emerging challenges, while also facilitating the sharing of achievements recorded during implementation,” Dr Gwajima said.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Advocate Amon Mpanju, called on Community Development Officers and Social Welfare Officers to prioritise awareness-raising among officials in district and municipal councils, as well as among stakeholders involved in implementing MTAKUWWA, to ensure a shared understanding that will ease implementation and help deliver the expected results. For her part, Ms. Neema Ibamba, Community Development Officer for Mara Region, thanked the Ministry for bringing together key stakeholders involved in implementing MTAKUWWA II, noting that the initiative would help align plans and strategies and provide clear direction towards positive outcomes.
