Choice for young women & girls in Zanzibar

Thanks to our generous donor support, MSI Tanzania successfully sustained and strengthened our Choice for young women and girls in Zanzibar program. The program continues to provide adolescents and young people with trusted access to sexual and reproductive health information, youth-friendly services, and safe spaces where they can build confidence and make informed decisions about their futures. 

To date, the program has reached more than 54,000 adolescents and young people with life-changing health education and information through schools, community networks, and public health facilities. It has also supported school-based girls’ clubs, engaged out-of-school youth, and strengthened the capacity of government health facilities to provide high-quality, adolescent-friendly care.

 Over the most recent months, the project has sustained high levels of engagement through peer led outreach, school based safe spaces, and community platforms reaching both in school and out of school adolescents. Ten Girls Care Clubs across 10 schools continue to support approximately 1,000 adolescent girls, providing trusted environments where young people can access accurate sexual and reproductive health information, challenge misinformation, and build confidence to make informed decisions about their health. In parallel, community-based youth networks have reached over 4,000 out of school youth, helping normalize sexual and reproductive health conversations and reduce stigma.

Your investment has helped preserve a proven platform for adolescent health and empowerment while laying the foundation for future sustainability. In the coming months, the program will deepen community engagement, expand youth-friendly services, and integrate life skills and economic empowerment opportunities to support girls and young women in building healthier, more resilient futures.

Client spotlight: Layla is an 18-year-old student at a university in Unguja, where she is pursuing a short course in Hotel Management. She attended a sexual and reproductive health awareness and service delivery event organized by the project at her institution. At the event, Layla received HIV counselling and testing and chose to begin using a three-year contraceptive implant, a decision she describes as an investment in her future. Growing up watching her mother raise her alone, Layla is determined to finish her studies and find employment before starting a family. In a community where early marriage at 17 or 18 remains common, her clarity and confidence stand out. She now actively shares what she learned with peers at her institution, extending the project's reach through her own networks. "Girls should not be afraid to make choices for themselves. Knowledge is power, and I have gained that power."