About Us

KNM Tanzania is a community development organisation based in Arusha, Tanzania. KNM supports young single mothers and vulnerable young girls to re-enter or continue formal education, learn vocational skills such as sewing, beading and book-keeping and start their own businesses.

KNM Stories

"Women are among the people who need support in order to participate well in development. They need to get education but they do not get the chance. In society women are oppressed and they do not get any time to do work which helps to increase their capacity. Many women are dependant because they haven’t got education which helps them to produce anything in order to create development. In our society some women carry the responsibilities of their man but they then lose the time to take care of their children as well as their husband. So women are very important, that’s why many families are separated, their children are growing up in a difficult environment. In Tanzania now days the government tries to make an equal position among male and female, but others some women still do not get the chance to take their children to school, due to this many families are very poor, this encourages some tribe to remain in poverty due to lack of education. Also some tribes know the important of education but they haven’t got enough money to support their life. So they decide that a good way for them to get money is to force young girls to be married without education. This is a big problem which effects many girls in society. If women get more time to participate in any educational activities they can get their basic needs. They can grow in development. So women need support and need education which gives them light in order to make them to improve their economics. Also to create unity among these women it helps them to depend on themselves."

- Grace Denis, March 2011

"Women have a big chance in the society which surrounds her. In the past a women did not get the chance to study or to be a leader because of the way men were on top of women. But now women can study, even lead the country, like a man. Now both men and women are equal and are given the same chance."

- Swaumu, March 2011

"A woman is an important person in society, also in the family as a carer. Tanzanian women are capable of being a leader, they like development, respect for elders and young people. Also women are hard workers. Women in Tanzania are not getting their rights, like education. Also they are forced to practice bad culture, for example in our village there was one family which oppressed the women. In that family there were two children, one boy and one girl. The boy was liked more than the girl. The boy got education but the girl was at home doing work until she was at the age when she was forced to be circumcised. Then she got a husband who she didn’t like, but her father forced her into the marriage because he received the bride price. The girl was married without her will and she was sixteen years old. At that time she should have been at school. That family represent other families in Tanzania which oppress women. They are not getting their rights." 

- Magdalena, March 2011

"Every year in the whole world all people celebrate International Women’s Day. In many places in Tanzania the society oppresses women. Many families give education to boys over girls. They think that girls do not have the right to get education. Many people say they will not get a profit from a girls education, in the same way as a boys education. But a girl can get education and help you later, just the same as a boy. I would like to say that the families who do those things should stop because all people are equal. If women are enabled they can do anything, even be a leader, like a man. Many women are oppressed because they don’t have education. They can’t find a job because they don’t have education. Therefore education is an important thing that everybody must get. In many offices if a woman is looking for a job she is forced to give sexual bribery in order to get the job. In many villages, girls do not get the chance to study but they’re forced to marry when they’re young." 

- Elizabeth, March 2011

"Women in our society are very important but due to the culture, custom and tradition of Tanzania the women are oppressed and do not get the equal rights of men. For example, in many conferences in Tanzania women are not getting the chances to give their opinions on policies. The men believe they don’t know anything. Also, in our society in Tanzania many top leaders are men and they say men have power and wisdom, more than women. Therefore you can’t get a woman leader in a top position. A woman doesn’t get an equal chance like a man – if she does why aren’t they’re women in top positions? And if they do have an equal chance – why don’t they have the chance to give their opinion in conferences? It’s true they have good opinions to bring about good behaviour and good morals in society in Tanzania. There are many women who bring development in Tanzanian life, because in many families women have a big role in the family. Also many children in Tanzanian families are depending on their mothers more than their fathers. Also the family can develop and go on without the father, but without the mother – no family! We as women need to get equal rights with men and then oppression will be stopped in Tanzania."

- Evaline, March 2011