 Dearest Community, As the year draws to a close, we take a moment to look back, reflecting on the work accomplished and the progress made in reaching more communities and securing the land and natural resources so many depend on. As we finalise the last bit of work for the year and reflect on the lessons learned, we cannot help but feel immensely proud of what has been one of UCRT’s busiest years yet. This year, we concluded two major partnerships. The first was the Darwin Initiative, a five-year, multi-partner collaboration on improving the lives of pastoralist and hunter-gatherer communities. We also brought to a close our 12-year partnership with the Wellspring Foundation, which helped establish our gender program - a powerful movement for pastoral women’s rights, leadership, and equality. As the foundation closes its doors, we remain deeply grateful for all the support given over the course of this partnership. Their flexible support enabled the formation of more than 97 Women’s Rights and Leadership Forums, reaching over 5,000 women, including 748 women elected into various councils. Partnerships of this depth and longevity are invaluable to the sustainability of our work. You can read more about this Wellspring and its impact on our latest blog post. For 2025, achievements were big. Let's take a look at what your support made possible this year. Land Rights Secured, Futures Protec Working closely with village governments, elders, and district authorities, UCRT supported communities to secure their lands and strengthen governance systems:
Land Security for Families Strengthening livelihoods, economic resilience, and women’s leadership—supported by secure access to land—remains critical to ensuring no one is left behind, particularly for women and vulnerable community members. In 2025:
These gains in 2025 will help women break through historic constraints, expanding their rights and opening new pathways for economic and social empowerment. Environmental restoration and community-led conservation remained strong throughout the year:
We’re proud to help boost community efforts that safeguard the rich biodiversity that thrives in these landscapes. These efforts will not only restore and protect vital ecosystems but also create sustainable income opportunities for local communities. UCRT continued to help build future leaders within our most marginalised communities:
For a program that has faced funding challenges over the past few years, we’re grateful to be able to report these achievements. Education remains one of the most powerful pathways for breaking cycles of marginalisation and strengthening community leadership. We hope to continue to improve Akie education access in 2026.  Dismas and Julius celebrate the CCRO handover with the Sandawe We also end the year with a tremendous milestone that has taken us into new territory. We are proud to share that we have expanded our reach into a new region—Central Tanzania. After more than 20 years of working across Northern Tanzania and helping secure over 2 million hectares for Maasai, Datoga, Hadzabe, Sonjo, and Iraqw communities, we have now supported the Sandawe community to obtain a communal Certificate of Customary Rights of Occupancy. This is a significant step in broadening our impact and advancing our mission to secure the land rights and territories of pastoralist and hunter-gatherer communities across Tanzania. Building on this success, we hope to respond to community requests to secure an additional four villages next year.
As we begin to wind down for the year—after long months of our team working in the field and spending extended periods away from their families—we pause with deep gratitude for all that has been accomplished. Your support, no matter the amount, continues to make a profound difference. We look forward to continuing our partnerships and seeing where the year ahead will take us. Wishing you all a safe and festive season! Your friends at UCRT
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16/12/2025 A 12 year partnership: The Impact of UCRT's gender program with the support of WellspringRead Now When UCRT first began working with pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities in Northern Tanzania, one truth quickly became clear: women’s voices were missing. Decisions about land, livestock, and resources were dominated by men, while women, who carried the daily weight of fetching water, caring for families, and tending herds, were excluded from the very conversations that shaped their lives.
It was with the vision and support of the Wellspring Foundation that UCRT set out to change this reality. Together, we planted the seeds of a gender program and the beginning of a powerful movement for women’s rights, leadership, and equality. Women’s Forums: From Small Gatherings to a MovementThe first Women’s Rights and Leadership Forums (WRLFs) were modest circles—just a handful of women meeting under a tree to discuss their challenges. With Wellspring’s support, these gatherings have flourished into a network of 97 forums spanning villages across Northern Tanzania. Today, more than 5,000 women come together through WRLFs, sharing knowledge, solidarity, and courage. For many women, these meetings were the first time they heard that the law recognises their right to own land. Empowered with this knowledge, women began to take bold steps. Over 1,000 Maasai women now hold land titles (CCROs) in their own names, something that once seemed impossible in a culture where land ownership was reserved for men. At the same time, WRLFs gave rise to Community Microfinance Groups (CMGs), which became a powerful tool for women’s economic independence. By pooling their savings, women invested in livestock and other ventures, collectively building businesses now valued at over $400,000 USD. Voices in Leadership The change has not stopped at the household or village level. Women who once sat silently at the edges of community meetings now join key discussions on the management of land and natural resources. To date, 748 women have been elected to village councils, with hundreds more serving in other decision-making roles. They bring new perspectives—advocating for children’s education, healthcare, and sustainable land management. One of the most inspiring examples is Mrs. Vailet Elias Lukumay from Mswakini Chini village in Monduli District. After joining her local WRLF in 2016, she gained the confidence and knowledge to run for office. In 2019, she made history as the first woman ever elected as Village Chairperson in her community, beating three male candidates. Today, she leads with vision and has since been re-elected, where she can continue balancing the protection of natural resources with the needs of her people, championing land rights, and serving as a role model for the next generation of Maasai girls. Shifting Culture, Changing Futures Perhaps most remarkable is how this program has begun to shift cultural norms themselves. Through land and leadership summits supported by Wellspring, over 6,000 women and male traditional leaders have come together to question and re-examine harmful practices. These gatherings what began as Women’s Rights and Leadership Forums (WRLFs) and expanded into broader community forums—placed critical investment in ensuring women had the voice, courage, and power to engage directly with the male traditional leadership system. By doing so, women were able to work with, rather than outside of, these structures to bring about the change they needed for their own. These dialogues culminated in the creation of the Maa Constitution, a groundbreaking cultural charter that enshrines women’s rights within the Maasai community. For a society long defined by patriarchal structures, this has marked nothing less than a generational turning point. They talk about subjects, such as early childhood marriage and disinheritance, that in the past were not spoken about.) A Lasting Legacy The Wellspring Foundation’s support was not only catalytic in starting UCRT’s gender program—it has been a steady companion throughout its growth. The flexibility of Wellspring’s funding allowed UCRT to fill critical human resource needs, including staff salaries, which strengthened our capacity and building a strong gender team that could deliver this ambitious vision. Just as importantly, Wellspring’s trust and long-term commitment gave UCRT the stability to leverage additional funding, expanding the program’s reach far beyond its initial scope. Today, women across Northern Tanzania are landowners, entrepreneurs, leaders, and defenders of both culture and nature. They are reshaping their communities and ensuring that their daughters grow up seeing women in positions of power. This transformation—and the ripple effect it has sparked—stands as a lasting legacy of Wellspring’s vision and partnership. Ashe Wellspring, for your invaluable support! The Ujamaa Community Resource Team  Over the first half of the year, we’ve been hard at work- deepening our engagement across program areas, reaching further into our landscapes, and strengthening our impact every step of the way. Here are some snapshots of our recent achievements:
————————————- A Call for Celebration for our Simanjiro and Yaeda Programs. In the heart of Simanjiro District, a powerful moment unfolded for land rights. More than 500 community members came together with district leaders in Langasiti Village- not just to receive land certificates, but to celebrate something deeply meaningful for so many. After months of dedication across our Simanjiro and Yaeda programs, we delivered the formal handover of both individual and communal land title certificates to communities that have long awaited this day. The path to formal land ownership is often long- from identifying areas of need, to holding village assemblies, to mapping and demarcation, and finally, to the legal issuance of land titles. Yet no matter how complex the process, our commitment never wavers. We remain focused on the goal: achieving land tenure security that benefits all members of the community. This time, we were especially proud to reach vulnerable community members- including women, youth, widows, and persons with disabilities- ensuring they now hold powerful legal and social protections over the land they rely on. What We Achieved On The Ground: ✔️ 250 individual land titles (CCROs) issued across 8 villages ✔️ 70% awarded to women and persons with disabilities - making land ownership more inclusive than ever ✔️ 14 Certificates of Village Land and 7 Communal CCROs handed over ✔️ A total of 272,741 hectares secured - that’s 22 times the size of Arusha City ✔️ Over 11,600 people now have legal protection over their land This is land supports livelihoods, sustains traditions, and strengthens community resilience. And now, it’s protected- by law, by leadership, and by the voices of the communities themselves. These achievements were made possible through the valuable support of our donors, local government, and partners. Together, we’ve not only helped create a more secure future for thousands- but also moved one step closer to full land tenure security across northern Tanzania. To date, approximately 70% of the land across our program areas has been secured. As we look ahead, we’re preparing to expand into new geographic regions, beyond northern Tanzania- guided by the needs of communities and focusing our efforts where support is most urgently needed. Hang tight on where these new areas will be! _______________________________________________ Advancing Research on Indigenous Governance and Land Rights We were also pleased to host a team from the University of California, Santa Cruz, guiding them through key landscapes to engage directly with key staff members, grazing committees and local leaders. Their visit marked the beginning of a collaborative research study exploring how stronger Indigenous governance and land tenure influence social-ecological outcomes in northwest Tanzania. This work will not only support our strategy to enhance documentation, but also add to the growing body of academic research that demonstrates the broad, long-term benefits of our projects and thematic areas providing robust evidence to support continued recognition and implementation across Tanzania. As we move into the second half of the year, we remain grounded in our mission- supporting communities to secure their rights, protect their landscapes, and shape their futures on their own terms. Thank you for walking this path with us. Your partnership continues to make this work possible- and meaningful. In solidarity, The UCRT Team Empowerment, Justice, Stewardship 1/1/2025 Starting the year and Bringing Land Rights to the Spotlight: UCRT’s Film at the Smiley Charity AwardsRead Now As we step into a new year, we are filled with excitement and purpose, setting our sights on impactful projects that align with our mission of empowering communities to secure land rights and foster sustainable governance. Among the new initiatives launching this year is the Participatory Development of Natural Resource Governance (PODONG) project, developed in partnership with IUCN and funded by the Canadian Government. PODONG will be implemented in the Longido, Simanjiro, Yaeda-Eyasi, and Monduli landscapes, focusing on addressing key challenges such as resource conflicts, environmental degradation, and inequities in resource distribution Guided by the outcomes of our 2024 end-of-year General Assembly, we remain deeply committed to listening to and learning from the communities we serve. These annual gatherings provide a vital platform for community members and leaders to share their insights, helping us refine our approach to tackling challenges and seizing opportunities together. This partnership-driven model lies at the heart of UCRT’s focus for 2025: to support communities in protecting their rights and shaping sustainable futures on their own terms. We also began the year with renewed energy after a staff retreat to the breathtaking Tanzanian coast at the end of 2024. Hosted by our partner organization, the Dorobo Fund, in Pangani, this retreat strengthened our team’s bond and reminded us of the diverse beauty we work to preserve. A day trip to Zanzibar—for many, it was a first-time visit, and the trip served as a reminder of the unique and diverse cultures we celebrate here in Tanzania.  We need your support!
Vote for UCRT at the Smiley Charity Film Awards Kicking off the year, we are excited to share that the Ashden Awards have submitted a powerful film showcasing UCRT’s work to the Smiley Charity Film Awards. These awards celebrate cause-driven films that highlight impactful stories and elevate the voices of grassroots changemakers. This submission offers a remarkable opportunity to shine a global spotlight on the vital work of securing land rights and protecting traditional livelihoods in Tanzania, while amplifying our partners’ voices and sharing their inspiring stories with the world. But we need your help to make it happen! Your vote can make a difference in elevating our work to new heights. Please take a moment to support us and share this opportunity with others who believe in empowering communities. As we look towards a great year ahead, we are inspired by the collective strength of the communities we serve, the dedication of our team, and the unwavering support from partners like you. Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Let’s make 2025 a year of transformative impact and shared success. With gratitude, The Ujamaa Community Resource Team |
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