GNRC Tanzania launched its committee on 31st August 2022 in a hybrid event at the United Nations (UN) House, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The event, whose objective was to strengthen and reinvigorate the Network, brought together forty-two participants from the Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist faiths. Seven committee members led by Ms. Joyce Mdachi, GNRC Coordinator Tanzania, religious leaders, children and youth representatives, and a representative of persons with disability attended the event.
The meeting started with a prayer from Rev. Pannasekara, Chief Monk of the African Continent, and Bishop Method Kilaini, a committee member. Ms. Mdachi welcomed the attendees to the launch.
Dr. Kiplagat, GNRC Programs and Network Manager, commended GNRC Tanzania for being a model of the GNRC network. She informed the participants that the launch resulted from the recommendations of the 2020 GNRC assessment report. “We believe that the GNRC country and committee launches will expand our global reach and diversity,” she said.
Ms. Mdachi shared a presentation highlighting GNRC Tanzania’s work and achievements over the years. These achievements included engagement with children and committee members, engagement with the Learning to Live Together (LTLT) (an intercultural and interfaith program for Ethics Education), actions on ending Gender Based Violence (GBV), and advocating for vulnerable children such as those living with albinism. She remains hopeful that the challenges faced by GNRC Tanzania can be addressed through multi-stakeholder collaborations. “I would like to recognize and appreciate the efforts of the late Sr. Jean Pruitt, the Myochikai and Arigatou International family and Secretariat, the Directors of the four initiatives, and Ms. Finike Gofomoka, Zamir Noorali, Ms. Elizabeth Mwase, and Mr. Yusuf Masanja, for making a difference in the lives of children.”
Ms. Maria Lucia Uribe, Director of Ethics Education for Children, thanked Ms. Mdachi and her team for their hard work and commitment to creating a better world for children. “We live in a globalized world with huge potential for collaboration to protect children.” She also commended GNRC Tanzania for using peace clubs to bring together children from different religious backgrounds and further emphasized the need for spiritual growth in children to grow in a safe environment.
The children presented a poem expressing the need to include children in advocacy processes that aim at bettering their lives. Two students gave speeches thanking GNRC Tanzania for all they had learned and promised to teach the same to their fellow students.
Ms. Maria Lucia Uribe pronounced the GNRC Tanzania committee officially launched.
As a symbolic act to mark the committee’s launch, participants wrote their pledges advocating for the rights and well-being of children on a whiteboard.
