About COSITA
Community Support Initiatives – Tanzania (COSITA) is a local non – profit making organization located in Babati Township.
The organization started as an idea from a group of people with common purpose mainly to serve indigenous community confronted by many problems including lack/shortage of clean and safe water, ever increase of land degradation and natural resource destruction, high level of illiteracy, bad culture against gender concern, and food insecurity. The idea was informally put into operation from January 2010 with only three members (Patrice Gwasma, Francis Geffi and Paschal Onna) under the support from MACSNET. Thereafter the three members convinced other to join the group until November 30th of the same year, where the three joined by other four members agreed to hold general meeting, one of the agreement of which was to formally register the organization. COSITA was officially registered under NGO Act, 2002 in December 2010 to operate in Tanzania Mainland.
Due to the scarcity of funds and human resources, the CSO currently operates in Babati, Mbulu and Hanang districts.
The organization has its well documented Constitution, Financial and Administrative regulations that can be accessed from its head office.
Apart from being participated in various activities in collaboration with other development actors in Tanzania, COSITA obtained her initial project funding March 2013 from CARE International in Tanzania for the implementation of "Pastoralists and agro-pastorlists Land rights project" in Babati district.
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION HISTORY:
Since the commencement of COSITA in the year 2010, the organisation managed to fundraise from her own members’ and non member individuals for office running.
COSITA gained her initial project funding from donor support in the month of March, 2013 from CARE International in Tanzania.
Since then, the organization engaged in the implementation of different projects, some directly and others indirectly:
Directly, the organization implemented and still implementing the project titled "Babati Pastoralists' Land Right in Babati district. The project funded by CARE International in Tanzania since March 2013.
COSITA also implements project tiltled "Mbulu Mwanzo Bora Nutrition" funded by Africare under USAID support programme since December 2013.
Additionally, COSITA in collaboration with TECDEN Manyara chapter and TAN-HIMBETAN in Mbulu is an important stakeholder advocating for early childhood development (0-8 years) rights to education, health care, nutrition and protection form violence as their basic need while her Executive Director is a member of National Steering Committee of TECDEN representing Manyara chapter.
Indirectly, it has participated in the implementation of various projects when its leaders and staffs worked at different times with other CSOs and District councils like MACSNet, KINNAPA Development Programme and Babati/Mbulu District Councils. The Executive Director of COSITA has wide experience in planning, fundraising and management of similar projects related to nutrition. For instance, while working with KINNAPA (2005 – 2010) has participated in the planning, fundraising and management of the project titled “KINNAPA ECD project” having three components; early childhood development, nutrition and Psychosocial support.
COSITA SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS
Since its registration in the year 2010, the organization has been able:
- To fundraise for community projects, currently accessing grants for Babati land right project funded by CARE and Mbulu Mwanzo Bora Nutrition project by Africare while Public accountability (by HIVOS); Organisation capacity strengthening (by FCS); and Clean water for health (by Canada Grand challenge fund) projects are in pipeline.
- In collaboration with district council has successfully implemented project titled “Babati Land Right” for phase one 2013.
- Networked and advocated for early childhood development program for inclusion in the Babati/Mbulu/Hanang district councils’ plans and budgets.
- To get settled in her hired office in Babati – Manyara as the head office and established sub-offices in Mbulu and Hanang districts.