Additional Context: Kijana Nahodha was a U.S.-funded program for teenagers and young adults from underserved areas in Tanzania. The four-year, $10.5 million initiative’s name means youth captain or youth leader in Swahili, and focused on youth mobilization, entrepreneurship, and vocational training. The program intended to equip more than 40,000 young Tanzanians with practical skills and job certification to enter the workforce. It offered a rare path out of poverty. According to the country’s 2022 census, about 34.5% of Tanzanians (an estimated 21.28 million people) are between 15 and 35 years old; 70% of this population work in the informal sector, and face high risks of early pregnancy, HIV infection, drug abuse, and crime.

Source: CARE