Feed the Future Tanzania Advancing Youth Monthly Report: January 2021

The program is implemented by DAI Global, LLC, and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The livelihoods component of the program focuses on providing youth with the skills and resources necessary to start and grow their own businesses. In January 2021, a total of 479 youth borrowed money from their respective saving and lending groups, with 34 youths borrowing to establish new enterprises and 313 youths borrowing to improve existing enterprises. The remaining 133 youths borrowed to improve their quality of life, including buying school items, paying medical bills, and investing in farm inputs and house construction. The livelihoods component also conducted a Training Need Assessment (TNA) to 168 young mothers across the Zone of Influence (ZOI). The TNA revealed the high demand for business management skills, including record keeping, financial management, and negotiation skills, to improve their sales. Following the TNA outcomes, OYE curriculum training is being delivered to the selected 120 young mothers across ZOI. In addition, the livelihoods component trained 152 youths on horticulture, specifically on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) including principles of agriculture and latest farming methods such as farm preparation, seed sorting and selection, pesticide, harvesting, processing, marketing, and post-harvest management. A survey conducted by AY grantee, Step-Up, indicated that before AY's interventions, average earnings per youth per month was TZS 109,991 (USD 48), while after AY interventions, youth income increased to TZS 211,825 (USD 92) per month, demonstrating an average income increase of TZS 101,834 (USD 44) equivalent to 92 percent. The leadership component of the program focuses on strengthening youth leadership and positive community engagement by youth. In January 2021, AY trained a total of 61 youth on Leadership and Community engagement in Zanzibar, and connected 165 youth to community decision-making bodies as active members across AY's ZOI. The leadership trainings resulted in several achievements, including Calorine Ephraim Francis being given the opportunity to speak at the Zanzibar Education Stakeholders meeting with the President of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, and several youth being elected as leaders in their respective organizations. The geographic focus of the program is on the Iringa, Mbeya, and Zanzibar regions of Tanzania. The program aims to reach a total of 10,000 youth across the three regions, with a focus on empowering them to become economically independent and socially responsible. The program is expected to have a positive impact on the lives of the youth beneficiaries, enabling them to cover some necessities including food, land purchase, furniture, house construction, and other quality of life services.