Tanzania

In Lindi, one of the regions with the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the country, teams of youth volunteers are using an innovative combination of drama and participatory learning to empower girls, and engage community gatekeepers on the issue.

Through interactive theatre and workshops, young people are empowered to tell their stories – including to those in positions of power - and advocate for change, while performances within communities help to raise awareness of risks and educate young people on healthy behaviours.

Using drama to challenge harmful social norms

Our Inclusive Education programme focuses on pre- and primary schools, working to empower all children to access high-quality education that allows them to reach their full potential.

We focus on the most marginalised young people, particularly those living with disabilities, those in crisis situations, and hard-to-reach girls. We work to develop teachers’ knowledge and skills in child-centred learning, improve school management, encourage community support for local schools, and develop comprehensive child protection and safeguarding systems.

In collaboration with three main partners, last year we reached 17,271 children and education professionals across 48 schools in some of Tanzania’s most vulnerable communities. In the rural Kagera region, exam pass rates in our project schools rose from 78% to 96% in Standard IV and from 64% to 95% in Standard VII over three years.

In the Muleba district we’re working to increase food security for marginalised farming households, by improving agricultural productivity, sharing knowledge about nutrition, and supporting farmers to diversify their crops. So far we’ve trained 1,200 households on good agricultural practices, microfinance and business skills, as well as further engaging 80 lead farmers and 12 agriculture extension officers, who will now work to pass on their knowledge to others in the community.

We’re now focusing on establishing kitchen gardens for 650 of the most vulnerable households – including those headed by widows, people living with HIV, and/or people living with disabilities – who will be further supported by extension officers specifically trained in horticulture and good nutrition.

We’re supporting SMEs to thrive through establishing Enterprise Innovation Centres, where volunteers with technical expertise provide business development services, coaching and mentoring for 2,000 entrepreneurs. By strengthening people’s business skills and improving their access to finance, technology and markets, we’re helping to create new jobs and assisting entrepreneurs to get their start-ups off the ground.

Encouraging grassroots growth

In the Lake Zone region, we’re empowering marginalised young people – especially pregnant girls and young mothers – to develop the skills and confidence they need to secure sustainable livelihoods, and challenging the gendered norms that can prevent women becoming valued members of their community. Through outreach programmes, apprenticeships and skills training, we’re supporting 3,000 young people to succeed in the formal sector, whilst establishing 80 income generating groups to help entrepreneurs develop their own businesses.

Lake Zone Youth Empowerment