Tanzania

Improving the living conditions of children and young people

Poverty, violence and HIV/Aids are widespread in Tanzania. In the Kigoma region in particular, many young people are infected with HIV, mainly as a result of sexual assault. Together with our local partner organisation Kividea, we strengthen young people’s resilience, teach them life skills and support young mothers.

Hear from the people on the ground

“At the youth club, I can talk about important subjects with people my own age. You don’t get that opportunity anywhere else here. But sometimes we also just have fun.”
Junge Frau aus Tansania - Projekt terre des hommes schweiz

Zola Shabani
19 years old

Background

Kigoma is one of the poorest regions in Tanzania and is known for its large refugee camps that take in people from the war zones of Congo, Burundi and Rwanda. Poverty and the refugee situation exacerbate social problems such as HIV/Aids, sexual violence and teenage pregnancies. Almost half of the women are pregnant or mothers by the age of 19, and their HIV risk is three times higher than that of the rest of the population. Taboos, a lack of sex education and cultural norms prevent open discussions about sexuality, which exacerbates the situation.

Project goals

The aim is to reduce teenage pregnancies, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, and gender-based violence (GBV) among young people aged 10 to 24.

Project activities

  • Awareness-raising. We raise awareness among young people aged 10 to 24 of topics relating to sexual health and their rights (SRHR) across 30 youth clubs in schools and 15 youth clubs outside schools.
  • Training for parents and guardians. We provide training for parents and guardians of vulnerable children and young people. In addition to raising awareness of health issues, we also offer support with parenting issues.
  • Cooperation with institutions. We work with institutions such as authorities, schools, health centres, the police and local governments to create sustainable structures.
Gruppe Jugendlicher in Tansania - Projekt terre des hommes schweiz
In Jugendklubs, sowohl in Schulen als auch ausserhalb, wird den Jugendlichen Wissen rund um Sexualität vermittelt. Foto: Sarah Kreis

Beneficiaries

In the last project phase, 12,188 children and young people benefitted from our work.

Our partner organisation

Kividea was founded in 1999. The founders were young volunteers who wanted to improve the situation of young people. terre des hommes schweiz has been supporting Kividea since 2011.

Project location and phase

The project is being carried out in the districts of Kigoma-Ujiji and Kasulu in the Kigoma region in north-western Tanzania. The current project phase covers the years 2023–2025 with an annual budget of CHF 100,000.