The Tanzania Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (TANGO) is the largest and longest standing national umbrella organization serving the Tanzanian NGO community. TANGO was founded in 1988 by 22 NGOs. It now has over 485 member organizations. As an umbrella body it is committed to promoting the well being of its constituency by acting as a unifying organ and mandated representative in advocating for transformation for the common good. TANGO’s Secretariat has 10 fulltime staff working in three inter-connected departments. The Executive Director is responsible for the overall programme implementation, supervision and reports to the Executive Committee.
Their vision is to create and maintain a strong and vibrant society in which NGOs are taking an active and effective role in promoting people-centered development. TANGO seeks to participate in advancing development initiatives that are based on the values of justice, peace, good governance, human rights, gender equality and equity, and sustainable human development. The mission of TANGO is to increase the qualitative and quantitative contribution of the NGO sector in development. They hope to promote the growth of the NGO sector and larger civil society through mandated representation and advocacy of common issues and interests concerning NGOs to other stakeholders in the development process. Their aim is to contribute to the improved performance of the NGO sector and related institutions through capacity building, coordination of its members, and by acting as a resource hub for information and skills exchange.
In order to implement its mission, TANGO has identified five main functions that they believe will enable them to become a strong and vibrant organization:
- Coordination of member and partner NGOs in Tanzania that aims at minimizing duplication and promoting quality standards for NGOs.
- Representation of member organizations allows TANGO to express collective consensus of member organizations to others.
- Serving as a platform for information exchange will provide member organizations easier access to relevant information.
- Building the organizational capacity of its member organizations so as to provide services in a more efficient and effective way.
- Performing lobbying and advocacy activities to create a conducive environment for the NGO sector, and promote important policy issues.
The website contains information about the organization, its membership, the various programmes and campaigns undertaken. In addition, it offers information to the general public on activities done by NGOs in Tanzania, highlights forthcoming events, partner news, job placements and online lobby campaigns on burning issues of interest to the NGO sector and the Tanzanian civil society in general.