Giving Tanzania's Young People a Brighter Future

Meet Mwajuma.

Due to economic hardships, Mwajuma was unable to complete her secondary education and, without support or provision at home, drifted towards the streets. 

By the time we met her, she was spending her days in dangerous and exploitative work, in a desperate attempt to provide shelter for herself. 

But when our community workers referred Mwajuma to our youth associations, she began to learn the skills that could transform her life. 

Hear Mwajuma's story in her own words

Through receiving emotional support and enrolling in a series of structured training sessions, Mwajuma strengthened her personal and social skills, learnt about adolescent sexual and reproductive health, and built self-awareness and confidence. She also enrolled in a six-month apprenticeship programme in hairdressing and salon management.

And today? She's running a successful beauty salon.

"The income I earn allows me to meet my basic needs, pay business and household rent and provide financial support to my family," she says.

Mwajuma's story role as a resilient and independent young woman has also earnt her respect and a voice within her community. 

Your support is a catalyst for change

In the regions we work in Tanzania, our 25 youth associations provide:

• emotional and mental health support
• life skills and personal development
• solidarity and peer support, and
• trade skills and business training

But it's stories like Mwajuma's that show how important that initial moment of support is in helping young people enrol in our youth associations and start their journey to change.

Last year, the skills learnt through these associations, along with vital start-up grants, enabled 568 young people at risk of, or already living on the streets, to transform their lives. 

Thank you for making this possible for young people like Mwajuma.

Links:

• Find out more about our Youth Association work

A Childhood Shaped by Loss

John’s* life changed forever when he lost his mother.

His uncle took him in, offering what stability he could, but home soon became a place of emotional pain. His uncle’s wife mistreated him, and as the years passed, the weight of that mistreatment grew unbearable.

By Form Two (15 years old), John faced an impossible choice: stay in a home where he felt unwanted or leave with nothing but the hope of something better. No child should ever have to make that decision, but John did. He left for Mwanza, searching for dignity, safety and a chance to rebuild his life.

A Harsh Reality No Child Deserves

The streets of Mwanza became John's shelter, his routine, his constant battle.

“Street life is not good,” he told us quietly. “People look at you like you are a thief… like you don’t belong anywhere.”

Every day brought hunger, fear and isolation. Yet beneath the hardship, John held onto a spark – a belief that his life could be different.

A Turning Point: Discovering Railway Children Africa

Hope arrived through other children who had walked the same path.

They told John about Railway Children Africa’s Youth Association programme, a place where young people met weekly to learn, talk, and simply be seen.

Curious and desperate for change, John joined.

And that decision marked the beginning of a new chapter.

In the Youth Association, John found safety, belonging and the tools he needed to rebuild his confidence.

Through lifeskills sessions, he learned about:

• Communication
• Stress and conflict management
• Money management
• Rights and responsibilities
• Drug misuse and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

And then came the tradechoosing workshop.

Learning a Trade; Beginning a Vocation

The chance to learn a trade helped John see not just who he was, but who he could become.

Carpentry called to him: he imagined shaping wood into something strong and lasting, just as he hoped to shape his own future.

Railway Children Africa (RCA) gave John not only the opportunity to learn new skills, but also stability, as he rebuilt his sense of dignity and direction.

“RCA has been a great help to me… it has completely taken me off the streets, paid my room rent and sponsored my education,” he said.

Today, John is a carpentry student at the Institute of Adult Education. He is no longer defined by his past, but by his potential.

Your Support Transformed John's Life

John dreams of running a thriving carpentry workshop where he can employ and mentor other young people who, like him, once felt they had no future.

Because of you, John is not just building furniture – he’s building a brighter future for himself and others.

Thank you.

*Name changed and models used to protect identity.

Links:

• Find out more about our work in Tanzania