Adaptive Entrepreneurship for Young Women School Dropouts Livelihoods

Funded by

Finnish Embassy Tz

From: 2023-02-20

To: 2025-08-04

The Adaptive Entrepreneurship for Young Women School Dropouts’ Livelihood project is a 24-month initiative funded by the Embassy of Finland in Dar es Salaam. The project is designed to enhance the economic resilience of 120 young women who have dropped out of school in the coastal communities of North Unguja and Micheweni Pemba.

Its primary objective is to build participants’ skills in leadership, entrepreneurship, saving and lending practices, and financial literacy, while encouraging the use of locally available resources—especially ocean-based resources—for economic empowerment.

To reach these goals, the project recruited and trained 120 young women (64 from Unguja and 56 from Pemba), organizing them into 15 business groups. Each group has developed structured business plans and models, and is to be linked with mentors and financial institutions to receive technical and financial guidance.

By month 20, the project has reached and exceeded initial expectations. All 120 participants had not only completed the training but had also actively started saving and engaging in entrepreneurial activities independently. Their strong commitment led to the development of 15 viable business ideas, including:

• Cooking and catering services

• Bedsheet embroidery

• Handmade accessories

• Seaweed-based fragrance production

• Clothing design

• Fruit processing

• Beauty and cosmetics

In addition to technical support, ZAFAYCO has facilitated the official registration of these business groups and supported their participation in local exhibitions, enabling them to showcase and market their products. Groups that needed extra assistance with refining their business ideas or accessing funding have continued to receive targeted support.

Currently, the project is focused on strengthening the connections of the groups with potential funders and financial institutions, and ensuring their sustainability beyond the project timeline.