1. WHO WE ARE:-
''TOP'' - The Tanzania Older People`s Platformis a NETWORK of older people's rights organisations so far bringing together 15 of them country wide and directly representing nearly 2.1 milion older people in Tanzania.
''TOP aims to voice and promote the interests of all older people in Tanzania (i.e.peasants,retired employees,headsmen,fishermen etc) who the government in the National Ageing Policy Statement para 3.3 corectly realizes them to be an important resource thet needs to be taped for the developmentof the national.TOP membership is composed of Age-Care NGOs and CSOs working with and for older people, to give a strong and credible voice to their; rights( human,basic, and legal);and needs.The founder members of TOP are the following:-
- Saidia Wazee Tanzania - Dodoma (SAWATA DODOMA) for Dodoma Region.
- Chama cha Wazee Wastaafu Lindi (CHAWALI) for Lindi region
- Chama cha Wazee Wastaafu Mtwara (CHAWAMU) for Mtwara rgion.
- Chama cha wazee Wastaafu Arusha (for Arusha region.
- Saidia Wazee Karagwe(SAWAKA) for Kagera region.
- Saidia Wazee Tanzania- Kasuru(SAWATA- KASULU) for Kigoma region.
- Songea Older People's Forum (SOPF) for Ruvuma region.
- PADI for Ruvuma region.
- Saidia Wazee Tanzania - Mara (SAWATA -MARA) for Mara Region
- SHISO for Iringa region.
- MOrogoro Elderly People's Organization (MOREPEO) for Morogoro region
- TEWOREC for Tanga region.
- Social Action Concern (SCAN) for Dar-es-salaam region.
- MAPERECE for Mwanza region.
- IRAHOPEGA for Singida region.
- AFRIWARG for Muheza Tanga.
2. BACKGROUND:-
TOP was set up in May 2008 following a process of discussion among active age care organizations who felt the need to improve service delivery and strengthen cooperation among themselves in the form of Coalition whose main goal will be to raise awareness of older people`s ageing issues that concern them most. Prior to this there was a national society for older people called "SAIDIA WAZEE TANZANIA" or ( SAWATA). Unfortunately this Civic Society Organization could give a strong and credible voice to older people`s ageing issues, views ,interests and needs. For that reason a caucus of mainly newly formed or reformed age - care organizations which have been formed following the formulation of the National Ageing Policy in 2003, resolved to replace SAWATA national age- care society and formed another in its place called - The Tanzania National Age- care Organization (acronyme TANACO).But alas; due lack of clear Vision and mission for this organization, on the one hand ,and selfishness and self esteem tendenciesassumed by the incumbent TANACO leadership, on the hand , TANACO found itself virtually unable to deliver any meaning service to a to and for older people. In May 2008, group of 8 active age care organizations working for older people in the serior of Rights ( human basic , and legal rights) for older people (specifically widows and widowers) resolved to form a Coalition or Network which they termed - " MTANDAO WA HAKI ZA WAZEE TANZANIA" ( acronymed "MTAHAWATA") for aim of using this coalition/network to consolidate the achievements they have already made in service delivery to older people and also to strengthen their joint capacity requirement for developing possibly an expanded programme in their sector of interest.By November 2008 this move had attracted 7 other active age care organizations, raising the number of MTAHAWATA founding members to 15. And in December 2008 , when these age care organizations were gathered in Dodoma for an annual review meeting , they resolved to expand the interests of MTAHAWATA and re-named the coalition /Network to be - The Tanzania Older People`s Platform (acronymed "TOP") . And the the expanded interests were defined to be as follows:-
- To raise awareness at National level of the opportunity and challenges that arise from ageing of our society.
- To shape appropriate policy responses in the interest of older people.
- To promote the interests and involvement of older people in the development of our nation.