Promoting Girls’ Vocational Training

In a classroom in Kizimkazi, a 16-year-old girl walks two hours to school. In Chake Chake, another drops out after failing one exam she can never retake. In Wete, another is married at 15 and told her education is over.

This is the reality for thousands of girls in Zanzibar.

Only 31% of children in Tanzania make it to secondary school - for girls, the number is even lower. The numbers are even lower when crossing the bridge from Ordinary level secondary school to advanced level secondary education, popularly known as Form six. It’s even more less on the numbers of girls joining universities. Two out of five girls are married before 18. Pregnancy, child marriage, long distances, lack of fees for supplies and transport, and a belief that a mother cannot return to school push them out of the formal system for good. Less than one-third of all girls graduate.

When the formal door closes, vocational training opens a future.

That is why Mwanamke Initiatives Foundation (MIF), in collaboration with 360 Foundation, has chosen Vocational Education and Training (VET) as its lifeline for out-of-school girls and young mothers.

Vocational training is not a second-class option. It is a direct answer to poverty. Research shows that just one additional year of relevant education can increase a Tanzanian household's income by up to 30%. A skill in tailoring, catering, ICT, beauty, sustainable agriculture or electrical installation means a girl can earn, employ others, feed her children, and never be forced to choose between survival and dignity.

Yet today in Zanzibar, VET remains out of reach. Male enrolment in Vocational Training Centres still doubles that of females. Centres lack instructors, childcare support for young mothers, and facilities for girls with disabilities. They are clustered in towns, far from the poorest districts where need is 72%.

We cannot let potential die because of geography and gender.

BREAK THE CYCLE. CREATE THE FUTURE.

On 22nd August 2026, at The Super Dome TZ, Dar es Salaam from 7:00 PM, MIF presents RHYTHMS OF HOPE Charity Gala & Fundraising Concert featuring African Music Legend Awilo Longomba.

This is more than music. This is purpose. Every ticket purchased, every table reserved, every sponsorship secured will directly build inclusive, safe vocational training centres, provide learning materials, childcare for young mothers, and start-up kits for graduates to launch their own income.

The theme is our promise: "Empowering Women. Transforming Communities. Inspiring Hope."

When you empower one girl with a skill, you empower a family. You break the cycle of ignorance, poverty, and disease - for good.

Join us. Give hope. Change lives.

For tables, tickets & sponsorship: +255 676 303 880 | www.mif.or.tz

 @mwanamkeinitiativesfoundation