Maneno Mengi supported client organisations to develop participatory learning and action by providing know-how on:

• Setting the scene - helping organisations define and communicate purpose and core services to the public with a focus on functions, skills, and knowledge.
• Engaging communities - raising public awareness of ways to take part in the interactive learning process and to work out locally appropriate mechanisms for negotiating knowledge and understanding.
• The learning process - introducing participatory media methods; building capacity to use and manage information.
• Institutional change - reforming policy and terms of reference of existing organisations, supporting emerging civic organisations, and reaching new agreements between stakeholders.

Maneno Mengi also assisted with video and TV production by planning, shooting, editing, and undertaking post-production of broadcast-quality video programmes with all-digital equipment. The organisation said "Portable and solar-powered DV editing in computers enable us to work closely with community groups and projects throughout the production process." Television Tanzania, TVT, broadcast several of the organisation's Swahili programmes. Many of these videos focused on issues related to the environment. For example, Unapozungumzia Usangu - Talking about Usangu (2001) was a 45-minute long public consultation and "stakeholder analysis" of water in SW Tanzania. Produced in Swahili with English sub-titles, the video was cut from stories told by people contesting the water in Usangu, from pastoralists to irrigated rice farmers to the national power company TANESCO.

Maneno Mengi also worked in the media of radio and the internet. From 1997-99, the organisation produced a weekly radio programme in Swahili, with funding from the Rural Integrated Project Support programme, called Redio Vijijini - The Village Radio Network. In addition, the group was translating what it described as the easy-to-use, collaborative Nuevo web publishing system from the Swedish media company ETC into Swahili.

The organisation offered training and support for community media, providing opportunities for on-the-job training and internships through media co-production projects with network partners and client organisations. It also organised courses and training workshops at Maweni Farm.

Environment.

Maneno Mengi was established in Zanzibar in 1998 by a group of development workers who had met at the Mtwara Media Centre in 1994-97.

Editor's note: as of 2008, we have lost all contact with Maneno Mengi staff and have not been able to find any reference to the organisation online.