The Human Rights Desk is an office within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT) – North Western Diocese. It was established in 2004, and has since then helped thousands of people solve conflicts either in or out of Court, working towards creating a more peaceful community where people know and uphold their rights. The main office is located in Bukoba Town at the ELCT-NWD head quarters
, but Human Rights Assistants and Coordinators are present in all districts throughout the Kagera region, ready to assist in conflict resolution. Conflicts presented to the Human Rights Desk mainly concern matrimonial trouble including domestic violence, inheritance, and disagreement on property and land ownership. The Human Rights Desk aims at solving conflicts out of Court, in order to negotiate the best possible outcome for both sides of the case, to hopefully establish a friendly relationship between the quarreling parties in the future, and to avoid corruption and unfair measures that could take place at Court. However, in some cases where agreement through mediation is impossible to reach, the Human Rights Desk also assist in opening cases in Court and providing guidance and support for the client. Most cases are solved through mediation, which shows that the approach of conflict resolution has proven to be helpful and successful indeed. The ELCT-NWD as a church is called on and sent by God to bear witness to the Gospel of Jesus and serve God’s people. The whole institution builds on Lutheran values and principles and since its early days, it has been involved in evangelism and actions of social improvement. It is thus a natural development that the church now includes and oversees several programs and departments with the aim of facilitating development in the region. To maintain a position against violence in any form in order to be a truthful witness to the Gospel of love and forgiveness,
2. To strengthen the Church workers and parish members (pastors, teachers, elders, and female leaders) in their response to conflicts and human rights violations in their neighborhood,
3. To become a reliable ally for the victims of violence, sharing their perspective, helping them to bear their pain and to fight their struggle for liberation and thus,
4. To join and to contribute to the Ecumenical Decade of Overcoming Violence of the World Council of Churches
A main objective of the Human Rights Desk is to minimize violence, which is embodied by its program ‘Combating Community Violence’ (CCV). Besides covering conflict resolution, the work under CCV includes several other initiatives:
Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) are implemented throughout the region. This program helps communities work together in contribution to a pool of joint savings. Members are then able to take out loans from this pool for personal purposes. At the end of a program’s period (usually 1 year), savings plus interests are divided among the members. Both the ability to take out loans and to save up a decent portion of money has proven to be very beneficial to participants and their financial status. Examples of what the money has been used for include: paying for children’s tuition, buying livestock for the household, starting small businesses, buying feed for animals, etc. Especially women appear to benefit from the VSLAs, as they no longer depend on their husbands to make a living. Some have expressed that the program helps to empower women, as they can take out loans and start businesses without depending on the support of a man. Children’s Club is another initiative supported and overseen by the Human Rights Desk. Currently, there are 20 clubs throughout the region. In these clubs, children between the age of 8 and 14 participate in different activities. They are taught about their rights (e.g. the right to an education), their responsibilities (e.g. helping their parents), and the importance of sharing this knowledge with other children as well as adults in their community. Moreover, the Children Clubs provide a safe place for the children to share stories of violence or conflicts and the best way to handle such. This way, they see the importance of breaking the silence and speaking up when human rights are violated. Often times, this also leads to the conflicts being handled and solved. Human Rights Desk is financially supported by Danmission, UEM, and community members.
