Ireland Invests €1.3 (Tsh 3.4 bn) to Support Youth Empowerment in Tanzania
News
07 December 2018
This week, the Embassy of Ireland launched a new partnership with IYF (International Youth Foundation) as part of its investment this year of €1.3 million to support the empowerment of Tanzania’s young people. In Tanzania, there are approximate 10 million people aged between 15-24. It is estimated that by 2035, this number will rise to 17 million. Young people are often among those most affected by global development challenges and it is in recognition of this that youth empowerment has been placed at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This agenda acknowledges that, when equipped with the right skills and opportunities, young people are a pivotal catalyst to growth and to peace and security.
The programme launched today sees the Embassy partner with IYF (International Youth Foundation) to implement the Youth Lead project in Tanzania. This programme will be led by the voices of young people and will see the establishment of a Youth Advisory Panel comprising of young people from Mwanza, Dodoma and Kigoma. Building on IYF’s existing Via - Pathways to Work program, this programme will also create livelihood opportunities for 850 young men and women through quality training and mentorships on entrepreneurship skills and financial literacy.
This new partnership compliments the Embassy of Ireland’s ongoing engagement with UNICEF in support of its “Cash Plus” programme which promotes better chances in life for the most vulnerable adolescent girls and boys. Part of the Government of Tanzania’s Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN) programme, the “Cash Plus” model jointly addresses livelihoods skills and education on HIV, Sexual and reproductive health and gender equality. It also facilitates linkages to adolescent responsive sexual and reproductive health services. This approach recognizes that social cash transfers alone are not sufficient, but that adolescents need a combination of social, health and financial assets to safely transition to adulthood. The program focuses on adolescent girls and boys aged between 14-19 years from poor households with the goal of facilitating 2,500 adolescents to transition safely into productive and healthy adulthood by 2019.
Earlier this year, the Embassy also commenced a partnership with Femina HIP in support of its ‘Nguvu ya Binti - Empowering Youth for Change’ programme in Mwanza region. The programme works to educate 1,830 girls and boys between the ages of 13-15 years on sexual and reproductive health and rights, entrepreneurship, business management and Gender Based Violence (GBV), so as to equip them with the right information about safe reproduction, gender equality and economic empowerment. Femina HIP delivers this education through local systems that exist in communities, such as radio, community health workers and school teachers. As a result of this education, it is expected that girls will stay in school and overcome the challenge of dropping out due to pregnancy or early marriage.
The Embassy is also proud and excited to partner with Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) to support Tanzania’s first everYouth Digital Summit (TYDS) which will take place in January 2019. This youth summit will provide a unique platform for youth to accelerate their digital skills and stimulate their thinking on creating and accessing employment through the digital economy. The event will be delivered by tech experts alongside youth that are successfully running ICT-based businesses and will offer participants a platform to network and meet with potential investors and customers.