Ruvuma Regional Commissioner Brigadier General Ahmed Abbass Ahmed (L) pays attention during a debriefing on the launch of a project from the YOGE Executive Director Advocate Philomena Mwalongo in Songea on February 18th 2026.
Voices for Water in Southern Tanzania.
The Youth Environmental Justice and Gender Equality (YOGE) with the support from IUCNs Building River Dialogue and Governance (BRIDGE) Women Leadership Grants is officially launching the Inclusive Freshwater Governance for Sustainable Communities Project, “Voices for Water” in Ruvuma Basin, Tanzania.
The launch ceremony for the project is expected to take place on February 19th in Mbinga District where the District Commissioner of Mbinga District is expected to grace the event
The project is expected to directly benefit the community members within the Ruvuma Water Basin as well as the Water User Associations, Sub-catchment Committees, and local Stakeholders across Ruvuma, Ruhuhu, Luwegu, and Mbinga sub-basins in Tanzania and community members within the basin through improved water access, governance and ecosystem protection.
The overarching goal of the project is to strengthen inclusive and gender-responsive governance of freshwater resources in the Ruvuma Basin by empowering women and youth to actively participate in decision-making processes at both community and basin level in Ruvuma region.
The project intends to foster partnerships between the Central and the Local Government authority, Water resource management authorities including Ruvuma Water Basin Office, Local based Organizations, Media and the local community to ensure coordinated and sustainable gender-responsive water governance and strengthen community participation and equity in water governance across the Ruvuma Basin in southern Tanzania in Tanzania.
Other stakeholders for the implementation of the project include the Tanzania Media for Community Development (TAMCODE), Ruvuma Water Basin office, Mbinga Town Council, Songea District Council, Local Community based Organizations, Local community, Media as well as Community radios and Digital platform media outlets.
Through a combination of training, advocacy, multi-stakeholder dialogue and media campaign, the project is expected to promote inclusive sustainable water management, conflict resolution, and climate-resilient practices that safeguard both livelihoods and ecosystems.
Water is not only a livelihood resource in the Ruvuma Basin but also a driver of peace, resilience, and regional cooperation. Without inclusive governance, current pressures will lead to further degradation of critical sub-basins (Ruvuma, Ruhuhu, Luwegu, Mbinga Highlands) as well as increased inequalities in water access, particularly for women and smallholder farmers, which could in return lead to potential conflicts among water users and across borders. Thus, the project intends to foster inclusive, transparent, and community-driven freshwater governance to sustain ecosystems, secure livelihoods, and build climate resilience for present and future generations
IUCNs BRIDGE Women Leadership Grants support women-led or women-focused initiatives that build leadership in freshwater governance and ecosystem restoration, enhancing the capacity of women and their organizations to lead actions that benefit shared basins and foster resilient freshwater ecosystems. For more information on BRIDGE Gender Mainstreaming Grants, please visit this website: BRIDGE Programme Grants – The IUCN Water Knowledge Platform
Youth Environmental Justice and Gender Equality (YOGE) is a youth-led organization based in Tanzania dedicated to advancing inclusive sustainable development by empowering youth, women and marginalized groups across the Country. For more information on Youth Environmental Justice and Gender Equality (YOGE), please visit this website: www.yoge.or.tz
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