Outside the Julius Nyerere Convention Center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania a lively crowd gathers. The air is charged with a sense of purpose, and the color orange is prominently displayed in the attire of many—an emblem of their commitment to ending gender-based violence.

This is the backdrop for the launch of a nationwide campaign to end gender-based violence in Tanzania, led by Wildaf, an NGO that works for women empowerment and equality, and coordinated by Mkuki coalition, a network of over 70 organizations, aiming to raise awareness and mobilize resources to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.

The campaign themed ‘Invest to prevent Gender-Based Violence’ saw active participation of the European Union and Member States’ Ambassadors. The Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Honourable Dorothy Gwajima, officiated the event and praised the efforts of civil society, private sector and development partners in addressing the issue.

At the event, Ms. Christine Grau, EU Ambassador to Tanzania and the East African Community, representing #TeamEurope, delivered a statement on behalf of EU and its Member States in Tanzania.  In the statement, she reaffirmed the “firm and visible” commitment of #TeamEurope in promoting gender equality and the rights of women and girl in Tanzania and around the world, further highlighting the 200M euro investment by the EU and Member States in the current programming period.

Ms. Grau also outlined the EU's focus on four areas: ending the pushback against gender equality, enforcing zero-tolerance towards violence against women and girls, enhancing accountability and legal measures against gender-based violence, and encouraging open discussion to combat such violence.

As part of the campaign, #TeamEurope will showcase its ongoing projects and initiatives in Tanzania that support the government, civil society and private sector in tackling gender-based violence through a series of sixteen (16) videos that will be posted each day of the campaign.

The introductory video featuring EU Ambassadors to Tanzania was published on social media.