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Mwamini Nicodemus (right) followed the programs DigiMali and Panda Digital and now has a trendy eyewear store in Dar es Salaam (© Imani Nsamila).
On 27 June 2024, the Tanzanian NGO Her Initiative was awarded the KBF Africa Prize by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. Through economic empowerment and digital literacy, the NGO has helped thousands of women become financially independent. And that is vitally important in a country where more than half of young women live in poverty and suffer from low self-esteem.
Tanzania has around 61 million inhabitants according to the most recent census, 51% of whom are women. And life is pretty hard for these Tanzanian women. Many more women than men live in poverty, for instance. Around 40% of young women are victims of gender-based violence; an equally high percentage are infected with HIV.
17 buckets of corn
Even though both boys and girls attend elementary school, the dropout rate of girls in secondary school is huge. One reason for this is teenage pregnancy. What's more, girls often marry at the age of 13 or 14. Poverty often forces parents to marry off their daughters in exchange for food, sometimes for as little as 17 buckets of corn.
When it comes to leadership roles, women also struggle to get a foot in the door. At the national level - ministers, parliament, etc. - there are around 37% women. Most of these are 'special seats', a kind of quota to increase the proportion of women. But women are still seen as less competent.
At the local level, the situation is even worse. In villages, only 2% of leaders are women; in the wards - a town, part of a large city or grouping of villages - the figure is 7%.
Poor education results in illiteracy. Moreover, women generally do not have any property and find it difficult to access financial institutions to take out microcredit for their business, for example. It's no wonder Tanzanian women suffer from a serious lack of self-confidence.

Lydia Charles Moyo, founder and CEO of Her Initiative: Yes to Financial Freedom! (© Imani Nsamila)
Teen Girls Support Initiative
Lydia Charles Moyo (28) has experienced this first-hand. She grew up in extreme poverty with a mother at the head of the family who didn't even complete primary education. Nevertheless, after completing her own primary education, she was selected to attend a public secondary school in the ward.
But she soon discovered how difficult life was there. The resources were limited, there were no libraries and not enough teachers. Moreover, she had to walk almost an hour to get to school. Many girls dropped out, due to pregnancies or tasks they had to perform at home.
In the end, of the original 200 students, only 9 went on to higher education: 6 boys and 3 girls, including Lydia. There was a growing realisation that many more women could advance through the education system if they were in an enabling environment.
That's why, at the age of 17, Lydia - along with the 2 other girls who were able to progress - started campaigns at school. The goal was to boost the girls' self-confidence. To this end, she invited role models such as lawyers, writers and musicians. Thanks to her Teen Girls Support Initiative, she reached around 1,000 girls.
During her university studies in Dar es Salaam - she studied public relations and advertising - she organised so-called panda events - panda is Swahili for the verb 'to plant'. She invited popular speakers for these events who inspired the girls to become more financially independent, for example by starting their own business.
Once she graduated, she worked as a radio host for an NGO working on leadership. But she soon returned to her campaign work, which she developed into a full-fledged NGO called 'Her Initiative'.

For beautiful nails you have to go to nail studio BossyNails! Owner Amina Ndazi (right) followed the training Panda on the Ground (© Imani Nsamila).
Changing mindsets
How do you help teenage girls and young women (up to 35) become financially independent? Her Initiative's answer is to focus on economic empowerment and digital literacy. The mindset - all the conceptions and assumptions that frame women's actions - has to change! This can be by making them aware of their rights, teaching them who they are and developing their skills. And once they have their own products or services, they learn how to attract customers and access financial resources.
What's more, Her Initiative is aware that (digital) technology is not the future, it's already now. If young female entrepreneurs attractively present their products on Instagram, for example, they can win over customers. That can be done quickly and cheaply. After all, they don't need a bricks and mortar store. By learning more about themselves and gradually building up positive results, their self-confidence gets a huge boost.
But Her Initiative also tries to create an enabling environment, by advocating for better policies and more favourable laws. Tanzanian society has to recognise and respect the productive role of women and enable them to help shape policy.
15,000 young women
To achieve its goal, Her Initiative developed 9 programmes, targeting different audiences, but all interconnected. Now more than 5,000 young entrepreneurs have already qualified for Panda Digital. Through this e-learning platform in Swahili, they can learn skills at their own pace and receive personal coaching for their business.
The Mishiko Clubs have so far taught financial literacy to more than 1,000 girls in 10 secondary schools in Dar es Salaam. They were also given tips on how to save and earn money on the side. In this way, Her Initiative hopes to keep these girls in school. Plan B Project supports teenage girls who have already dropped out of school, while combating gender-based violence.
After just 5 years of operations, Her Initiative can be justifiably proud of its impact. The NGO has reached over 15,000 young women. 2,805 young female entrepreneurs have started working digitally, and 210 of them have started a new business. Furthermore, 18 organisations run by young people have received support.

Leah Jackob Nteba had to leave school early but was fished out by Plan B Project. She now has her own fruit and vegetable stall in the countryside (Kisarawe district) (© Imani Nsamila).
KBF Africa Prize
Her Initiative has found various sponsors. These include UN Women, the Malala Fund, the Netherlands and the Roddenberry Foundation. Nevertheless, the NGO is still aiming for more financial independence, so its work can continue long-term. It therefore set up an investment fund and wrote to potential donors.
It has now secured the KBF Africa Prize, which comes with the sum of €200,000. Among other things, this money will be spent to scale up their programmes. For example, Her Initiative would like to expand Panda Digital to the entire Swahili-speaking region, including abroad. The NGO is currently physically active in 6 of Tanzania's 26 regions. It also wants to expand here as well.
But the KBF Africa Prize means much more than a sum of money; it is a total package. It comes with technical assistance, offers the opportunity to connect with other funders and to better understand global challenges.
Self-confidence
In any case, Lydia and her 4 staff remain highly motivated. Not least because there's no shortage of amazing success stories. Rosy, for example, who makes floral arrangements to decorate wedding parties. She didn't have a shred of self-confidence before she took part in Panda Digital. She now posts beautiful photos of her work on social media and has more than 100 clients.
Or the woman who managed to build a thriving business assisting women who are breastfeeding. There appears to be a huge demand for support, and thanks to the digital approach, she now has many clients.
Or the male doctor who struggled to find work. He also switched to a digital approach that included pregnancy support. He discovered there was a high demand for medical kits, and now he sells them.
All lives transformed in incredible ways with a remarkable boost in self-confidence! And that's what Her Initiative is all about.
KBF Africa Prize
The KBF Africa Prize rewards African organisations which contribute to sustainably improving the lives of people in Africa. The Prize is awarded every other year and seeks to draw public attention to the many inspirational stories, challenges and successes emerging from the African continent.
Beyond its monetary value of 200,000 euros, it offers its winners unique opportunities to increase their visibility and promote their cause to international audiences.
The Prize is awarded by the King Baudouin Foundation in the presence of the Belgian King and Queen, and the Minister of Development Cooperation.
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