U.S. Embassy Alumni Coordinator Rehema Kalinga (second from right), Tanzania-U.S. State Alumni Association and Affirmative Action on Gender Equality Network members, and women's NGO recipients of 16 million Tanzanian Shillings grants during ceremony held at Hill Park Hotel University of Dar es Salaam on October 18, 2011.
Sponsored by the American people, the Tanzania Youth Scholars initiative, a five-year program that aims to increase access to quality vocational and entrepreneurship training and secondary education opportunities for 1,800 orphans and vulnerable children through educational scholarships was launched in Dar Es Salaam at the Doubletree Hilton Hotel on October 19.
Managed by the International Youth Foundation (IYF), the program's goal is to improve the transition from school to work among some of the country’s most vulnerable youth.
Funded through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Youth Foundation will work in partnership with Tanzania’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training and local implementing partners to carry out the program and track and report results.
The launch event and panel discussion attracted top representatives from the Tanzanian government, the USAID Mission, the International Youth Foundation, implementing NGOs, the broader development community, and a cohort of youth leaders.
Orphans and other vulnerable children are estimated to make up nearly 10 per cent of Tanzania’s youth population. The Tanzanian Youth Scholars initiative seeks to address the challenges facing this under-served group by offering them the life skills, vocational training, and employment opportunities necessary to improve their health and well being and make positive contributions to their families, communities, and the local workforce.
“The International Youth Foundation is grateful to the American people for their ongoing commitment to youth development here in Tanzania and across Africa and for this opportunity to work together to ensure more vulnerable youth gain access to the training and education they need to be successful,” said Peter Shiras, IYF’s Executive Vice President.
“The only way to improve the future of today’s youth is through partnerships like this one – where all sectors of society, as well as the international community, are mobilizing their resources to improve young lives,” said Robert Cunnane, USAID/Tanzania’s Mission Director.
The Tanzania Youth Scholars program is directly linked to the PEPFAR goal of providing care and support to people affected by HIV/AIDS and improving data collection and coordination. It is implemented locally by the Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA), Kiwohede Women's Center, and Camfed.
The Tanzania Youth Scholars initiative is funded by USAID through the International Youth Foundation’s Youth: Work Leader with Associate award, which allows overseas USAID Missions and Bureaus to access the foundation's youth employment programs and services.
About the International Youth Foundation
The International Youth Foundation (IYF) invests in the extraordinary potential of young people. Founded in 1990, IYF builds and maintains a worldwide community of businesses, governments, and civil society organizations committed to empowering youth to be healthy, productive, and engaged citizens.
IYF programs are catalysts for change that help young people obtain a quality education, gain employability skills, make healthy choices, and improve their communities. To learn more visit www.iyfnet.org.
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