A Brief Profile of Mumiramira Village in Kabanga, Ngara District

Introduction and Location

Kagera Region: the region lies in remote north western region bordering Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Road access to the region is difficult, while social services are scarce in most of its rural areas. The region has relatively good climate and land for crop production. Important agro-ecological zones in the region are: the Highland; High/Medium Rainfall Perennial Banana/Coffee Production Zone and the Lowland, Medium/Low Rainfall Annual Crop Production Zone. The indigenous population is 1.6 Million people in 290,000 households, dispersed in 550 villages with densities varying from 25 to 100 persons per square Kilometer. Smallholder subsistence farming dominates the economy. Poverty and welfare data indicate that Kagera Region is among the poorest in Tanzania. Over 40 percent of the households face frequent deficiencies in staple food supply and over 80 percent are classified as poor. Major causes of poverty are: distance from the road; lack of farm inputs, credit and extension; low prices, especially for coffee; inadequate access to safe water; scarcity of fuel wood and lack of transport. 

     

The rural district of Kagera Region [Karagwe; Bukoba Rural; Muleba; Bihalamulo and Ngara] have a joint population of approximately 2,000,000 individuals living in 375,000 households. Although all live in rural districts, 20 percent of these people live in areas classified as peri-urban, with the remainder living in rural areas. Rural Kagera has a poverty rate of 31 percent; a little less than one out of three households live below the basic needs poverty line. However, as poor households are generally larger, 40 percent of the Kagera population lives in a poor household. Twenty six percent of the household in the region have access to health facility, i.e. live within 30 minutes travel from one health facility. In urban areas this proportion is significantly higher at 57 percent. In contrast in rural areas it lies very low at 19 percent.

Access to social service differs substantially between rural and peri-urban areas, the proportions of individuals using health facilities in rural areas and urban are almost identical at roughly 15 percent. Almost 57 percent of children born in the last five years were delivered at home and 43 percent in a hospital or a maternity ward. Children are more likely to be born at home in rural areas, in poor households and if they are born in Karagwe District.  

Ngara District: the district comprises of 13 percent of all households in Kagera region. The poverty rate in the district is the highest in rural Kagera after Bihalamulo and Muleba. The district is a home of 15 percent of the poor households in the region and most Ngara’s households have and average of 5.3 inhabitants. Level of livestock and land possession are comparable to the rest of the rural region. Ngara District has the second highest rate of access to health facilities in Kagera Rural. Over 30 percent of its households are located within 30 minutes of travel from the nearest health facility. Here about 40 percent of the births are delivered in the hospitals or maternity wards, while the remainder is delivered at home, which is the second lowest percentage of hospital births in Kagera rural after Karagwe.

Ngara has the best access rate to drinking water facilities. Seventy percent of the households are located within 30 minutes of travel from the nearest source of drinking water. About a third of households in Ngara District live under the basic needs poverty line. Ngara is a district with a high poverty rate compared to the rest of the region. In absolute number Ngara has 16,700 poor households. 

Mumiramira Village  

Mumiramira village form part of Rulenge Division, Bugarama ward in Ngara District, bordered by Nyarulama village, Bugarama and borders Burundi in South and West of the village, approximately half of the village land is surrounded by Burundi (Figure 2.1). Mumiramira village is formed by a total of six hamlets, namely: Murusenge; Kabanga; Mumiramira; Maragara; Mukivumu and Karamba.

Demographic Characteristics

Mumiramira village had a total of 3,629 residents, comprising of 59 percent female, the active population is less than half of the total population of which 60 percent is again women. This indicates that women form the backbone of the village economy. Now with this proportion where are the other men? This question can be answered by another study. However, the location of the village sharing border with Burundi might have impact on this, it should be known that since 1993 there was an influx of refugees in the village and this might have impact to the current population. For example some people might have left to other areas of Tanzania. More than half of the population is dependents under 17 years old, formed by 59 percent of women; however the village had only three disabled. There is a total of 122 [3 percent] ophans in the village; this is an alarming rate looking on the village population and the general economic situation. Half of the orphans are the most vulnerable children in the village, vulnerability is a situation where children have lost both parents, and they do not have any reliable relative to take care of them. 

  

Table 1. Population in Mumiramira Village

Population Group	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of Women
Total Population	1488	2141	3629	59%
Active population	491	750	1241	60%
Dependants [below 17 years old]	902	1296	2198	59%
Disabled	3	3	6	50%
Orphans	65	57	122	47%
Most Vulnerable Children	27	35	62	56%

Source: Mumiramira Village Council January 2008

  

Village Administration

According to the Local Government Authority regulation of the United Republic of Tanzania, every village is supposed to have its own government headed by the Village Chairman and the Village Executive Officer. They are responsible to the Village Council with 25 members representing all hamlets in the village (Table 2). 

Table 2. Members of the Village Council

Description	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of Women
Total Number of members	18	7	25	28%
Elected members	18	7	25	28%
Members under special seats	-	-	1	-
Committees’ Chairpersons	3	-	3	-
Committee’s Secretaries	3	-	3	-

Source: Mumiramira Village Council January 2008

The Village Council had a total of 25 members as per Local Government Regulations, where by women comprise only 28 percent, which is below the required standard of 30 percent for each and every policy and legal body in Tanzania. None of the women is either a chairperson person or a Secretary of one of the Village standing committees. Different from other village and urban centres of Tanzania, there is no other political party in Mumiramira, other than the ruling party Chama cha Mapinduzi [CCM].   

 Education in Mumiramira Village

Despite the fact that the total area of the village is not known, it is beyond reasonable doubt that general the village is relatively big. In this line Mumiramira has two primary schools namely Mumiramira Primary School located at the centre of the village and Mukivumu Primary school in the respect hamlet, but saving other hamlets around. Mumiramira primary school has a total of 9 teachers, comprising one female teacher. There are more girls than boys among the pupils by 53 percent and only four pupils passed for form one in 2007. Registration for standard one for 2008 intake was 71 pupils comprising 51 percent girls. Mukivumu Primary school in the Table 2.3 has a more or less similar situation. Here there are 6 teachers one of them is a female; female students comprise 50 percent of the total, less to that of Mumiramira, and it is encouraging that 23 pupils passed standard seven examinations in 2008, among them 78 percent were female. The total registration for standard one stood at 51 percent for girls.

Making comparison between the two schools it is encouraging that Mukivumu primary school had a better performance in 2007, against Mumiramira. It is unfortunate that the reasons behind this good performance are not known. All in all the general situation of the school and number of teachers need special care since the ratio of student per teacher is 1:80 for Mumiramira and 1:88 for Mukivumu Primary school. This shows that almost another half of teachers is required to satisfy the required needs of 1 teacher for 45 pupils (1:45) [Table 3].   

Table 3. Primary Education in the Village

MUMIRAMIRA PRIMARY SCHOOL
Description	Men	Women	Total	Percentage of women
Number of Teachers	8	1	9	11%
Number of pupils	341	380	721	53%
Number of pupils passed 2007	3	1	4	25%
Registration of standard one 2008	35	36	71	51%
MUKIVUMU PRIMARY SCHOOL
Number of Teachers	5	1	6	17%
Number of pupils	263	264	527	50%
Number of pupils passed  2007	5	18	23	78%
Registration of standard one 2008	28	23	51	45%

Source: Mumiramira and Mukivumu Primary Schools

In addition to the present education situation in the village it is important to look on the vital statistics in education. In total for both schools the deficit is extremely high as opposed to the availability.  The deficit in classrooms is by 61 and 69 percent for Mumiramira and Mukivumu Primary Schools, while for teachers the proportional of deficit is 89 percent for Mumiramira and 85 percent for Mukivumu. The only item with relatively low deficit compared, is a number of desks for both primary schools [standing at 46 and 48 percents for Mumiramira and Mukivumu respectively], at the same time Mumiramira also had a lowest deficit on pit latrines 10 percent compared to deficit of 83 percent for Mukivumu. In this line there is a need of supporting this village in one way or another for the aim of improving education situation and facilities in the village.

Table 4. Vital Statistics in Education Mumiramira Village                  

MUMIRAMIRA PRIMARY SCHOOL
Description	Requirement	Available	Deficit	Percentage of Deficit
Number of classrooms	18	7	11	61%
Number of teachers’ houses	18	2	16	89%
Number of desks	240	130	110	46%
Number of pit latrines [toilets]	84	8	76	10%
MUKIVUMU PRIMARY SCHOOL
Number of classrooms	13	4	9	69%
Number of teachers’ houses	13	2	11	85%
Number of desks	157	81	76	48%
Number of pit latrines [toilets]	23	4	19	83%

Source: Mumiramira and Mukivumu Primary Schools

 Health Situation in the Village

Outpatient services in the village are provided at the dispensary, located within the village, it was reported that the dispensary is vital in the village, specifically for Mother and Child Health, children less than five years old, pregnant mothers and vaccination.  The dispensary had only two staff, a clinical officer and a nurse attendant may be a guard even if it is not mentioned in the Table 2.5. The average number of outpatient per day was mentioned to be 15 persons, excluding pregnant mothers and children less than five years coming for vaccination and weighing services.

The main cause of deaths in the village is Malaria; according to available statistics the disease at the dispensary had caused 9 deaths in 2007.  This figure is only for the reported cases they might be other deaths caused by the same but not reported to the health facility. The most killer disease of children less than five years old is malnutrition, where it was shown as causing deaths to a total of 50 children half female and male in 2007 alone. The general health can be said to be not so good because Malnutrition is killing many kids in the village, the figure of 50 children in the area with a population of less than 4,000 people is real significant. More girls have given vaccination than boys; 199 girls compared to only 36 boys; this is incredible, under normal circumstances it can not be possible. There is a need of looking on this matter. If this is the case, therefore many boys are not brought to the health facility for vaccination and why is so? Or more than three quarters of the village new born are girls! There is a need of looking in details on this information, otherwise misconception is created. This is important because, this CNA exercise aim to study opportunities and problems associated with provision of water and health services and the economic situation and activities; therefore, a clear understanding of any doubt is relevant.

Table 5. Health Statistics the Village

Descriptions	Female	Male	Total
Number of Clinical Officers	1	-	1
Number of nurses and or Attendants	-	1	1
Number of outpatient per day	-	-	15
Vital Statistics in Diseases [Causes of Deaths in order]
Malaria	5	4	9
Coughing	-	-	-
Diarrhea	-	-	-
Malnutrition  ( deficient)	25	25	50
Health and Children
Malnutrition (deficient)	25	25	50
Vaccination	36	199	235

Source: Mumiramira Dispensary January 2008

Religious Institutions

There are four religious institutions in the village, namely: Roman Catholic; Seventh Day Adventists; Pentecostal and Islam. No mention was made in relations to the proportional of this believers to the total village population or which denomination or sects has more believers, compared to the either the village population or the total number of believers in the village.   

  Livestock in the Village

Villagers at Mumiramira are mixed farmers cultivating crops and keeping livestock. Village data base at Mumiramira shows that there are 221 Cattle in the village, in 2007. However, there is no data on Sheep; Chicken and Goats which for sure can be seen all over the village. According to village data no dairy cattle are available in the village; common diseases for animals were also not mentioned. 

  

 Microfinance and Non-Farming Activities

Despite the fact that majority of villagers are farmers growing crops and sometime keeping livestock, some of them are involved in other non farming activities. However, there is no any type of microfinance institution in the village in whatever form.  For those few involved in businesses, hence the village has as a result there are three small shops; one weekly market and a total of 8 local beer bars and pubs, commonly known as Club or Pombe Shops.  

[SOURCE: Extracted from a consultancy report titled " Water, Health and Economic Activities Profile. Profile for Mumiramira Village". KNCL and GAD Consult. 2008]

February – March 2008