The Global Fund- Mlango project redeems Female Sex Workers in Kisarawe District
“Nothing is valuable rather than living a morally acceptable life and earning ‘clean’ income. We have been redeemed from being Female Sex Workers to fully independent women. Thanks to the Global Fund Mlango project’s support that rescued our lives….” explained ZE happily, a chairperson for the Queen’s group.
The Queen’s group is an income generating activity (IGA) group facilitated by the THPS Global Fund- Mlango project in Mitengwe Village of Kisarawe District, Pwani region. The group was formed in December 2019 comprising of 12 members. To date, the group has only five active members.
The group members explained that due to life’s hardship they started engaging themselves in sex work for over two years until in May 2019, when their chairperson ZE was informed by the Mitengwe Ward Counselor that THPS is providing IGA support to vulnerable women in Kisarawe District. ZE decided to follow up with the THPS Global Fund- Mlango Project’s Regional Program Officer (RPO). She was informed of the need to have a group of 12 members in order to get the project’s support. This made ZE to convince her fellow FSWs to join her and form their group.
According to the Queens group members, it took them almost six months to make decisions in stopping their sex work business. Fear of inability to meet their living expenses due to stopping the sex work overwhelmed their minds, and seven of the group members dropped from the group and continued with the sex work.
“During the group’s training on entrepreneurship we received skills on poultry farming but our desire was having a women clothes’ shop. We presented this business idea to the THPS Mlango project’s team and they agreed with us and funded us with two million TZS capital for opening our shop business. We happily opened our women clothes shop that was fully stocked with gowns, African print wraps commonly known as ‘vitenge’ and ‘khanga’ in December, 2019. To date, our shop’s monthly sales goes up to approximately 590,000TZS. We have also opened a Bank account that we have saved 880,000TZS as our shop’s profit. Our future plan is to open a men’s clothes shop. Thanks to THPS Global Fund Mlango project for changing our lives.” added ZE.
Additionally, all the five group members currently own individual businesses that helps in meeting their personal and family needs. They are mostly engaged in food selling and poultry keeping businesses.
Explaining the benefits of her personal business, a group member KH said, “While doing the sex work business, I used to earn a maximum of 6,000 TZS a day but my current daily income earned through fried cassavas’ selling business goes up to 15,000 TZS. Through this income, I comfortably meet my personal and children’s needs. Additionally, I get enough relaxation time and my health looks better compared to the past. I am also a well-respected lady in the village.”
THPS is a Sub recipient to Amref Health Africa in implementing comprehensive combination HIV and TB prevention activities for key and vulnerable populations i.e. people who inject drugs (PWID), female sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with men (MSM), fisher folks, truck drivers, miners, and plantation workers in thirteen regions (Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara, Tanga, Dodoma, Morogoro, Mbeya, Mtwara, Pwani, Mara, Simiyu, Shinyanga, and Kigoma) covering 27 districts under the MLANGO project.
In Kisarawe District the project has eight active IGA groups with six groups supporting FSWs and two IGA groups for PWIDs.