Tanzania
Tanzanian gays and lesbians are mobilising

afrol.com, 22 November - New funding to the Tanzanian gay and lesbian organisation Community Peer Support Services (CPSS) has resulted in a training programme of 250 gay and lesbian activists, according to an ILGA newsletter. CPSS has emphasised on sensitising members and in acquiring advocacy skills. 

Community Peer Support Services (CPSS) is an lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) movement started by a few queer activists three years ago to advocate for the rights of LGBT people in Tanzania. "The main aim of the group is to mobilise LGBT people and advocate for the respect of their human rights. CPSS since inception has been engaged in membership recruitment through our contact persons in different towns throughout Tanzania. Other activities have been hindered due to lack of funds but with financial support we can develop a programme," CPSS states. 

CPSS currently has 334 members throughout Tanzania and we anticipate recruiting others. Tanzania has 25 regions but we have divided it into ten zones uniting tow or three regions to form a zone which nominates a key contact person as the leader of that zone. 

- We have a management board consisting of a chair, vice chair, secretary, vice secretary, treasurer and ten executive members (key contact persons) all the above elected by the Annual General Meeting for a period of three years, the CPSS told ILGA (the International Lesbian and Gay Association). 

Activities since inception have been hindered by lack of funds. However, "recently we received funding from Hivos to open a co-ordination office and to conduct ten zonal human rights workshops in order to sensitise members and acquire advocacy skills, share expertise and information, identify challenges, limits, opportunities. We are also in the process of documenting human rights violations in our country," CPSS told ILGA. 

The outcomes so far have been:

• 250 LGBT people mobilised and trained as gay activists. 
• The 250 LGBT people will contribute to human rights advocacy in Tanzania 
• The capacity to lobby 
• Education on human rights of LGBT people has been done 
• Co-ordination of project activities have been ensured. 
• Linkages have been created both nationally and internationally 

Homosexuality remains illegal in Tanzania, but there has not been reports of prosecusions, as i neighbouring Uganda and Kenya.

Source: ILGA Newsletter 

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