Introduction
Women Writers Forum (WRIFOM) is a newly established Non-Governmental Organization whose sole purpose is to motivate women in Tanzania through writing and reporting on all kinds of issues that directly or indirectly affects their daily lives. Further, the organization aims to give women opportunities to express publicly their strength as well as their challenges, which shall be reported and publicized to the public through our organization.
WRIFOM will be extensively involved in research in remote and urban areas in order to obtain relevant information on different issues that concern women and men. In addition, awareness creation is done through writing, reporting, creating different programs on women’s and men’s issues and highlight challenges they face in our society. Further, WRIFOM helps journalists enhance and improve their reporting skills on different issues through trainings to be organized.
About Wrifom
WRIFOM is an independent non-governmental, non-profit, non-partisan, non-religious voluntary organization established to promote awareness on issues that affects women and men through writing and reporting via the media.
WRIFOM was conceived in 2010 by 10 members. WRIFOM was officially registered as a Non-Governmental Organizations of the Laws of the United Republic of Tanzania with Registration number 00003837 its membership comprises of individuals from multi-disciplinary professions.
WRIFOM is also open to women journalists who work for print, electronic and on line media, book writers, magazines and news agencies; our organization largely targets developing countries.
With its headquarters in Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, the organization is chiefly involved in policy research, capacity building, networking, organizational development and capacity building.
WRIFOM’s vision is to ensure that Tanzania has a media industry that respects, protects, supports and uphold the dignity of women regardless of their social background, education, religion, age, political affiliation, disability and economic status.
The media is substantively involved in bringing awareness to our society on the level of oppression and subjugation that women in Tanzania are still subjected to.
The organization empowers women through media writing and reporting, advocacy, capacity-building programs, and training workshops to ensure that women recognize that they are still an important part of our society to bring about social, economic and political development regardless of hierarchy which one belongs.
Currently, WRIFOM is served by a staff team of 3 full-time journalists; one based in Dar es Salaam, another one in Mwanza and third is based in Bukoba. The head office is in Dar es Salaam.
Our Vision
WRIFOM’s vision is to ensure that Tanzania has a media industry that respects, protects, supports and uphold the dignity of women regardless of their social background, education, religion, age, political affiliation, disability and economic status.
Our Focus
WRIFOM strongly emphasizes the following areas:-
1.Research and Content Generation, WRIFOM emphasizes conducting of research in remote and urban areas for the aim of getting relevant data on different issues which concern women./Men
2.Mentorship
3.Awareness creation, this is done through writing, reporting, creating different programs on women’s capabilities and challenge in the country.
4.Enhance and improve the relevance and effectiveness of reporting, WRIFOM is there to help journalists to improve and report effectively women issues through trainings which will be organized/ conducted.
Our Objectives
The Women Writers Forum is a Non-Governmental Organization formed to meet the following objectives:
To promote and represent interests of women in the media and women in general, particularly in as far as the media portrays them and in their efforts to participate equally in national development.
To create a consultative forum for women writers to meet and discuss issues affecting them and the development of their craft, expertise, ability and skills.
To expound interest more on girls to join journalism so as to increase more women in the media houses and ultimately help to balance opinion and representation of women in the media.
To represent women interests, status and aspirations and to establish women screenwriters, producers and directors, poet, filmmaker, playwright, short story writer and novelist and to stand as representative voice within the various industry structures.
Highlight the developmental concerns of marginalized sections of TANZANIA society particularly in rural areas and to draw out perspectives on women on these issues through their writings.
To have national writers Festival.
To create a sustainable forum for the promotion and marketing of Tanzanian literature and authors.
To equip women with skills and knowledge of how to use the media in promoting their position as leaders in the society at large.
The forum will collectively address the concerns of women writers for honoring their skills to generate stories on diverse issues, to find space in regional and national media and to encourage new writers in the field through various skills, training and projects.
To rehabilitate vulnerable and desperate women engaging in commercial sex work.
To promote women to engage in environmental conservation and to conquer all effect of climate change.
To support women generally and by way of publication to learn and have better understand on issues related to death caused by malaria to pregnant women.
To establish professional cooperation and coordination with other similar National or International Organization in the initiation and conduct of cooperative program for the benefits of community.
To promote the right to education to women/young girls with disabilities and sponsorship for the same where need crop up.
To engage in all activities conducive to the attainment of the foregoing aims and objectives