As the deadline to achieve at least a 30 percent inclusion of women in politics and decision-making in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) draws closer, women in Tanzania still face marginalisation in the political arena.

One day after his passport was confiscated, veteran journalist and editor of the weekly independent "Dira" newspaper in Zanzibar, Ali Nabwa, has reached an agreement with the Department of Immigration that he would surrender his Tanzanian citizenship and reapply for it as the Department had demanded earlier this year.

Funded as a pilot project by terre des hommes Switzerland in 1997, Humuliza is based in Nshamba, Tanzania and works to meet the psychological needs of orphaned children, in part by developing practical instruments to enable teachers and caregivers to support orphans. Humuliza has produced 19 training modules with handouts, which may be combined in ways to suit the needs and time of the trainees. These manuals, as well as a basic textbook about psycho-social support for orphans, are available by clicking here.

Religious representatives in Tanzania have challenged African governments to ensure active participation of the citizenry in discussions on the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

The governments of Rwanda and Congo-Brazzaville together with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have agreed to return home 5,000 Rwandan citizens who fled the country during the 1994 genocide. However, over 1,000 of the refugees residing in western Tanzania have appealed against repatriation, alleging that they will be persecuted if they returned to their country.

Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon has said that last month's by-elections in Zanzibar were a basis for "further progress" towards full democracy on the islands. In a statement released following the report by the Commonwealth's Expert Team to the May 18 elections - the full text of which will be released on June 7 - Mr Mckinnon urged all parties in Zanzibar to "continue to work together to build on the atmosphere of calm and tolerance which was so evident during these elections”.

The Tanzanian government has rejected the applications of 931 Rwandan refugees who asked to stay in the country because they fear that the security situation in their country is not conducive to their return, The Guardian newspaper reported last Friday.

Tanzania's national food crop production is likely to decline by 10 percent this year compared to last year, the Famine Early Warning System has predicted in its May report. Despite the shortfall, which has been put down to "low and erratic rainfall", Famine Early Warning System said that the overall food supply situation would remain "adequate". Nonetheless, it noted that the price of staple foods began to rise in some markets in April, "contrary to the normal trend".

Tanzania's national environment agency has warned that most of the country's water supply will become dangerously toxic unless drastic anti-pollution measures are taken. Untreated industrial waste is being pumped into the country's rivers, creating a potentially devastating future crisis, the National Environment Management Council (NEMC) has said.

The Tanzania government has said recently that it is committed to institutionalizing gender within its structures. According to the Minister, the change of focus made by the Ministry of Community, Gender and Children Development from "Women" to "Gender," the creation of the National Gender and Development Policy and the adoption of the Gender Budgeting Initiative by six government sectors is a clear indication of the government's commitment to institutionalize gender within all its spheres.

Voters on Pemba, the semi autonomous island off Tanzania, overwhelmingly demonstrated their support for Tanzania's main opposition party, the Civic United Front (CUF) in Sunday's by-election, which, despite speculation to the contrary, was held in an atmosphere of calm and order.

The Iringa International School is searching for a Senior School Maths and Science teacher. The school is small and somewhat limited in resources, but the diverse student body is serious about learning from an intelligent, curious, and qualified Maths and Science Teacher.

A Group of youthful journalists concerned with the unabated spread of HIV/AIDS in the country has come together and formed an association. The Association of Journalists Against AIDS in Tanzania (AJAAT) has 13 founder members, all in their twenties and early thirties, and was registered by the Registrar of Societies on March 24 this year.

Dynamite fishing, coral mining, and the use of seine nets have destroyed much of Tanzania's coastal reefs, but now the government is getting serious about protecting these unique and fragile reefs. Tanzanian environmental experts are assessing the condition of the country's coral reefs, which are being threatened by human activities both legal and illegal.

A week after the transfer of the presidency from a Tutsi to a Hutu, the first wave of Burundian refugees arrived in Burundi, aid agencies said on Tuesday.

The World Health Organisation announced that it would provide technical support to Tanzania for the commercial production of a plant-based medicine reported to have the "highest cure rate" for malaria, Irin news reports.

House maids in Tanzania are at a higher risk of contracting HIV/AIDS because their male bosses, their male children, and other male family members force them to have sex, a country-wide survey shows.

The death rate for children in Tanzania has fallen by more than 25 percent following the implementation of a pilot three-year community project aimed at curbing malaria, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported last Friday.

President Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania has embarked on a campaign to improve government communication with the public and to enhance relations with the media, part of a broader commitment to good governance, openness and accountability.

The government of Tanzania has joined other Indian Ocean countries to launch a National Integrated Coastal Management Strategy that will strive to improve the living standard of the coastal people and revamp national development. The strategy is a joint initiative between the Tanzanian National Environmental Management Council, the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resource Center, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It was developed following years of community consultation and input.