Women's empowerment & herbal medicine in Tanzania - a direct response to the COVID-pandemic

Who? Tanzanian women's group Beautiful Gate

Where? Kinondoni (Dar es Salaam- Tanzania)

How long? 3 years

What? Improvement of medical care for socially disadvantaged groups and women's empowerment in Tanzania during the COVID-19 pandemic through the production of herbal medicine in the form of essential oils by the Tanzanian women's group Beautiful Gate using the cold-pressing method.

Brief description of the project

The project "Improvement of medical care for socially disadvantaged groups and women's empowerment in Tanzania during the COVID-19 pandemic" is considered a direct response to the drastic socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. It is intended to support the Tanzanian women's group Beautiful Gate from Kinondoni (Dar es Salaam) in the local production of essential oils to alleviate COVID-19 symptoms through the German partner organisation Power4Africa e.V. within the conceptualisation of the project and with a transfer of intellectual know-how, as well as in the acquisition of production-relevant technologies. Tanzania has a rich flora with medicinal added value, so that the local production of essential oils can bring a sustainable turnaround to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). African medicine is considered a recognised alternative to Western medicine, so that the majority of the population relies on herbal remedies for medical care for various reasons. Even in times of the COVID-19 crisis, these have proven functionally successful in strengthening the immune system and alleviating various symptoms associated with COVID-19. With the provision of the cold oil press, accessories, raw materials as well as an appropriately designed training, a transfer of know-how as well as the competence development of the women involved is to be sustainably promoted. With their newly acquired qualifications and skills, they act as multipliers in progressive skills development for women and girls in Tanzania. Their newly acquired skills in the production of certified essential oils will then be used to help other socially disadvantaged groups such as orphans and people with disabilities through free distribution of the oils produced. In this way, the basic needs of the most needy in society are to be placed in the centre and a sustainable safeguarding of medical care is to be achieved through local initiatives, in this case through the women's group Beautiful Gate.

Raw materials used for the production of the essential oils

The women's group Beautiful Gate produces the essential oils using the cold-press method from Tanzanian plant materials. With regard to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, great importance is attached to the environmentally friendly cultivation and processing of the raw materials. This also guarantees excellent and standardised quality. At the same time, the environment is given the greatest respect, so that the plant materials cultivated by local farmers can also be processed into valuable essential oil in the future. The raw plant materials are sourced by Beautiful Gate with local farmers in the coastal region around Bagamoyo and in the heart of the country around Mikumi National Park in the Morogoro region.