Sternsingen 2026: Help for Tanzania is the Focus

In 2026, the collected aid funds are intended to benefit projects focused on food security, promoting sustainable agriculture, and strengthening women's and children's rights in the focus country of Tanzania.

This was announced by the Epiphany Action (DKA) on Wednesday. In Tanzania, hunger, water scarcity, and poverty shape everyday life. About one-third of the population lives below the poverty line, and many children are chronically malnourished. The climate crisis dramatically exacerbates the situation.

The DKA partner organizations Pastoral Women's Council (PWC) in northern Tanzania and Human Life Defense Department (HLDD) in the west train people in rural areas in climate-adapted agriculture, provide loans and seeds to strengthen family incomes and the economic independence of women; they also raise awareness of women's and children's rights. The organization of savings and credit groups also contributes to the financial security of people, especially in remote regions without access to banks or financial institutions. Those involved can save amounts, grant each other loans, manage larger expenses together, and expand their economic activities.

Carol Singing 2026 Supports Aid Projects in Tanzania: Ensuring Food Supply

HLDD supports, among other things, small farmers in the Biharamulo district with a food security program. In training sessions, farmers learn how to prepare the soil, irrigate specifically, and cultivate climate-resistant plants. Seeds, seedlings, and professional support help build stable yields. The harvest successes bring further advantages, reported Godfrey Baraka Rusasa, pastor of the Biharamulo community and head of HLDD, in an interview with Kathpress. "When families have enough to eat, there is more peace in the families, children can go to school, and there is more development in the enforcement of women's and children's rights." In the partner villages, significantly more families can now have three meals a day instead of just one.

HLDD also runs programs to empower women, promote gender equality for income security, and address climate-related issues, "all of which contribute to helping rural, vulnerable communities achieve a secure livelihood," emphasized Athanas Kiyumbi, who, as project manager for the area of food security, also helps implement school nutrition programs in village communities.

Focus on Children's and Women's Rights

A secure livelihood is closely linked to strengthening the rights of women and children and preventing child labor, as Rusasa explained. "Children need to know their rights and be able to go to school safely." With information programs at primary and secondary schools, improvements in water access, and energy-efficient cooking facilities, HLDD aims to reduce child labor and violence. Water sources are often several kilometers away, and fetching water is the task of girls and women, who are often on the road for hours and exposed to dangers.

Particular attention is paid to women in the community who, although not legally, according to old traditions, are not allowed to own land, have no access to money or community resources, cannot participate in meetings, and have no access to leadership positions. "If women are left behind, there is no progress in the development of the entire community," said Rusasa. They should be able to make more decisions about income and resources and gain more economic independence through HLDD's programs.

At the same time, it is about a fairer distribution of responsibilities in the family. "We want men and women to make decisions together. For this, we first need to create awareness. It must be anchored in people's hearts." Rusasa is encouraged by the many positive changes that have been achieved in the last 30 years since the Catholic organization was established. "We see empowered women who can survive without the help of a man. If this spirit of change continues, we will live in a different African society in the next ten to twenty years."

Economic Independence

The Pastoral Women's Council (PWC) is committed to strengthening women's rights and economic independence for women in about 90 Maasai villages in the districts of Ngorongoro, Longido, and Monduli in the Arusha region. Women and girls of the Maasai people experience discrimination in their communities, have little say, and often no access to education or money. "Girls have to do housework and the parents choose a husband for the child. Often they are forcibly married at the age of fourteen," described Timothy Ole Yaile, who is committed to gender justice in the organization, the patriarchal structures in the pastoral communities.

In addition, despite a legal ban, female genital mutilation is also widespread. "It is based on the old, but still deeply rooted belief that an uncut woman is impure." Women who are not circumcised must fear not being married and being ostracized. In the so-called "Women's Rights and Leadership Forums" (WRLFs) of the organization, 20 women and five men each come together to explain the dangerous consequences of female genital mutilation (FGM), but also to inform about property rights when a man leaves or dies.

Various courses by PWC, which take place as part of the one-year program, also support women in becoming economically independent. "When a woman is economically empowered, that is the first step: her independence already reduces many forms of oppression," said Yaile, head of the climate change department. Women are trained in entrepreneurship and agriculture to build businesses and farms that feed their families.

"Village Community Banks"

Together, areas that have been destroyed by soil erosion or lie fallow are currently being identified with village administrations. Women prepare the soil, sow grass seeds, and harvest both seeds for sale and hay for livestock supply. In addition, PWC supports communities in building rainwater harvesting systems to alleviate water scarcity and supply both households and livestock.

As part of the program, women also organize themselves into savings and credit groups, the "Village Community Banks," where they can save amounts and grant each other loans. More and more women from pastoral communities are achieving economic independence and can invest in what is important to them: particularly in the education of their children, especially girls, as well as in improving the nutrition and general well-being of their families. To strengthen the groups in the long term, a microfinance institution was also founded by PWC, through which larger loans can be granted at low interest rates, allowing women to expand their businesses.

"The women gain new life, new hope, and joy - because they own their own money, are financially independent. The relationship between partners also improves, as the men recognize the potential of their wives," reported Stellar Millya, head of the Women Economic Empowerment department of PWC. When the organization started its work, many women were not allowed to attend the meetings, especially the youngest wives, because they were not trusted, said Millya. In the meantime, the "mindset" has changed, and children and husbands encourage the women to attend the courses.

20 Million for People in Need

In Austria, around 85,000 carol singers will again be on the move in almost 3,000 parishes this year. Last year, around 20.5 million euros were collected for people in need. Since 1954, children and young people have acquired 560 million euros in donations. Together with partner organizations, church institutions, and NGOs, the DKA is committed to strengthening the rights of children and young people, ensuring food security, and promoting sustainable economies. The aid organization of the Catholic Youth supports around 50 poverty regions worldwide.

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(APA/Red)

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