Mara — TANZANIA Youth Alliance for Development and Cooperation (TYADCO) has selected Tarime as its first beneficiary district in Mara Region.

The NGO is preparing to boost awareness campaigns against HIV/AIDS and female genital mutilation (FGM) in the district. The programme targets secondary and primary school children, according to TYADCO Director, Mr Aloyce Mwema.

The programme was launched in Tarime town recently during a function officiated by the Tarime District Council Chairman, Mr Amos Sagara, on behalf of the Tarime Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Nyambari Nyangwine.

Over 150 school children from various secondary and primary schools attended the function supported by the National Microfinance Bank (NMB), according to Mr Mwema. Mr Sagara spent several minutes urging students in Tarime to work hard at school.

Tarime NMB Branch Manager, Mr Amos Mubusi urged the school children to refrain from using mobile phones and instead pursue their studies with some seriousness. "The long time you spend writing and reading mobile phone text messages can be used to read many text books," the bank official advised the students.

Among other things, the NGO has an ambitious plan to set up a modern information centre that will be keeping students busy during holidays. "The information centre will be equipped with computers, newspapers and text books.

Many youths are day scholars and having an information centre in place will help to stop youths from engaging on useless activities on the streets," Mr Mwema told 'Daily News' shortly after the programme was launched. He further underscored the need of setting up a Vocational Education Training Authority (VETA) centre in the gold rich district.

Mr Mwema said he has conducted what he described as fruitful talks with the Tarime District Council leaders on the importance of executing the programme which the NGO believes will help to cut FGM, HIV/AIDS and illegal cultivation of bhang in the area. Tarime has remained notorious for illegal cultivation of bhang in the lake zone region for many years.