Community Problem
Young women, entrepreneurs and girls, particularly survivors of gender-based
violence (GBV) in Tanzania, face significant barriers to achieving economic
independence and improving their livelihoods. They are disproportionately
affected by a lack of skills, unemployment, lack access to financial services, child
marriage, teenage pregnancy, child labor, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, all of
which contribute to their economic marginalization and hardship, trapping them in
a cycle of violence and poverty.
Our Approach
Vocational and Employability Skills Development
This runs for one year, offering vocational training in marketable skills like
garment making, handcrafting, and media production (photography and
videography). Beneficiaries attend in-class sessions for nine months, followed by
a three-month apprenticeship where beneficiaries learn through working to a
well-established institution. After graduation, Hakizetu supports participants by
either connecting them with potential employers or providing them with business
start-up kits. This is followed by six months of business incubation or career
mentorship to beneficiary.
Youth Entrepreneurs Development
Mlango offers a 14-30 days intensive training in business management and
entrepreneurship to young women and girls, Entrepreneurs and Small and
Medium Enterprises. This training covers key areas like financial literacy,
branding and marketing, legal compliance, customer care, and developing a
growth mindset. Upon completion, beneficiaries receive micro-loans or seed
funding through Mlango Microfinance and enter a three-month business
incubation program through Mlango Hub. During incubation, they receive one-on-
one mentorship, market linkages, financial support, and attend monthly
“Business Connect” sessions, where they meet potential partners to help grow
their businesses.
Digital Business Skills Development
This two-month program equips small entrepreneurs with essential digital skills to
help them enhance their businesses. Participants attend weekly four-hour
sessions over eight weeks, covering topics such as digital finance,
entrepreneurship in the digital age, e-commerce, online selling, digital marketing,
and basic digital literacy. Upon graduation, 30% of participants receive seed
funding to strengthen their businesses.
Menstrual hygiene education and product Manufacturing
Mlango Foundation manufacture reusable sanitary pad, which is eco-friendly,
cost effective and hygiene menstrual solution, ensuring girls and women can
engage in daily activities without interruption and promote environmental
sustainability. Mlango also carry outreach program to school and community to
help raise awareness and educate the students about menstrual health, breaking
taboos and dispelling myths. The outreach promotes the distribution of reusable
sanitary pads, ensuring accessibility and school engagements in sustainable
menstrual hygiene management.
Youth Livelihood Program (YLP)
Youth Livelihood Program provides training and skill building that evolves
through employability training, hands-on projects, enterprise gaming,
and business enterprise creation. The program equips young people with the
tools they need to plan and achieve a successful future.
THE CHALLENGES YOUTH FACE TODAY
56% OF YOUTH
are unemployed in East Africa
(Aga Khan University)
95% OF YOUNG WORKERS
are working in low paying, informal jobs (East Africa – ILO-2022)
OVER 70%
of African youth subsist on less than $2 a day (UN-FAO)
WHAT MAKES THE PROGRAM UNIQUE?
Upon completion of the 3-phase program, participants have the necessary skills
to enter the job market, start their own businesses, or pursue higher education
to achieve their dreams.
YPL has three levels that build on each other:
FOUNDATIONAL LEVEL
Students Launch Fish Raising Project
Youth-led with Hands-on Projects
12-16 learning modules with hands-on activities. Students learn foundational Leadership and
entrepreneurship skill.
The program is a youth-led club that is adult guided, and inclusive for all students. It
includes skill building for income generating projects.
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
Winners of the Enterprise Challenge
l
Enterprise Gaming and Employability
Foundational content is put to the test through gamified business tools and local projects.
Skills deepen with job and enterprise readiness training.
Students participate in The Enterprise Challenge, conducted in partnership with Prince’s
Trust International, giving them the chance to hone their skills while developing and pitching
their own business ideas.
ADVANCED LEVEL
Youth Start Businesses
Grow Your Business
Designed for youth who start an enterprise or launch a business. Students develop a growth
plan and put their skills to the test.
Youth learn to build credit and secure loans, positioning themselves for long-term
entrepreneurship.
Our Digital Employability and Entrepreneurship
Program (DEEP) Initiative
The DEEP initiative provides out-of-school youth (ages 18-24) in rural areas with
a 15-month intensive digital skills, entrepreneurship, and leadership program,
training them in software development, business development, project
management, and job readiness.
Through hands-on project-based training and partnerships with industry leaders
like Google, Cisco, Salesforce, and Amazon, as well as local businesses and
national governments, participants gain globally recognized certifications, more
than 1,500 hours of field training, and the skills needed to secure employment
or create their own job opportunities in the digital economy. Learn More
EVIDENCE-BASED IMPACT
We know our program works! Our youth are thriving on their chosen path,
whether it be furthering their education, securing a career of their choice, or
expanding their endeavors with job creation.
92%
Of students have developed a career plan (2024)
57%
Of students have started a project addressing climate change (2024)
44%
Of students have started small businesses at home (2024)
Wezesha Vijana Program (WVP)
(Wezesha Vijana is Swahili for Empowering Ourselves)
Wezesha Vijana Program is a unique, multi-faceted life skills program.
Wezesha Vijana’s approach to personal, social, economic, and health skills
development is based on a human (woman) centered design. This rights-based
program emphasizes the active participation of adolescent girls and young
women in defining their own needs and leading solutions to the issues that
affect their lives.
When girls thrive, communities prosper, economies flourish, and
societies become more resilient and inclusive.
Therefore, it’s not just about investing in girls; it’s about accelerating progress
towards a more equitable and prosperous future for all.
CHALLENGES GIRLS FACE IN EAST AFRICA
Understanding relevant cultural, social, and health factors are critical
to addressing girls’ education and the “keeping girls in school”
gap. Girls struggle to develop essential life skills due to the systemic issues of
gender-based violence, early marriage, lack of education and limited
opportunity that deeply affect rural communities.
16.7 MILLION GIRLS
are out of school in sub-Saharan Africa (UNESCO)
37% OF YOUNG WOMEN
(20-24) were married before the age of 18 (sub-Saharan Africa – UNWomen)
MORE THAN HALF
56% of urban girls and women live in slum conditions (sub-Saharan Africa –
UNWomen)
WHAT IS THE WEZESHA VIJANA PROGRAM?
Through “safe spaces” and learning about money and power dynamics, girls
support each other and educate their peers using activities that they have
developed. By treating girls as active participants rather than passive
beneficiaries, Wezesha Vijana Program empowers young women to take control
of their futures and make a positive impact in their communities.
WHO IS THE
PROGRAM FOR?
Girls Showing Their New Learning and Hygiene Products
WVP focuses on the upper-primary level adolescents (ages 11-14) when girls are more at-
risk for dropping out.
WVP includes boys as peer-allies (33% of students) who learn about the challenges girls face
and how to best support them as they overcome these challenges.
PROGRAM
TOPICS
Students at a Girls Empowerment and Rights Summit
l
Through 16 sessions, studenst gain personal, human, and social assets.
PERSONAL ASSETS: Dream mapping, goal setting, and confidence building.
HUMAN ASSETS: Puberty, hygiene, children’s rights, gender-based violence, teen pregnancy,
and HIV awareness.
SOCIAL ASSETS: Networking, financial literacy, seeking help, and finding support.
WHAT MAKES THE PROGRAM UNIQUE?
Students Holding a Program Workbook
Wezesha Vijana Program empowers youth to take control of their futures and make a
positive impact in their communities using the tools they have around them.
The program includes community support, parental engagement, peer mentoring, and
active engagement of boys.
EVIDENCE-BASED RESULTS
93%
Of students understand how to take care of their bodies (2024)
88%
Of students have initiated savings accounts (2024)
84%
Of students reported accurate knowledge of HIV & STIs (2024)
Accelerated Learning Program (ALP)
Strengthening classrooms and teachers by providing needed
resources, training, and skills.
Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) strives to meet the needs of access to
education while ensuring high quality learning with a focus on reading,
numeracy, and digital literacy. Needs and merit-based scholarships address
education access. ALP accelerates learning in the classrooms through hands-on
training, leveraging digital tools and localized learning resources enabling high-
quality outcomes.
ALP is TACKLING LEARNING POVERTY
Did you know?
ONLY 65%
of teachers have the minimum required qualifications in rural Africa (UNESCO)
LIMITED ACCESS
youth in rural areas lack access to and knowledge of digital tools
ONLY 28%
of the Sub-Saharan population are connected to the internet
WHAT MAKES THE PROGRAM UNIQUE?
Asante Africa Foundation’s Accelerated Learning Program provides teachers in
rural East Africa, with support, training, and techniques to create a highly
engaging learning environment.
Using technology in the Accelerated Learning Program is an integral part of
linking teachers to their students. In this digital age the importance of
understanding technology will become key to the success of students.
DIGITAL LITERACY
AND LEARNING
Learning How to Use a Computer
Since 2012 we have been bringing digital resources and materials into the classroom to
support teachers’ curriculum development and after-school clubs.
Digital resources and tools are a low-cost and high yield solution, where students and
teachers develop the necessary skills to succeed in the 21st century.
LOW-COST AND
LOCALIZED RESOURCES
Participant in a Training Session
i
We provide teachers training that develops highly engaging learning environments for
students to thrive.
Training encorporates the use of local resources, low-cost solutions, and hands-on skill
development. Teachers are provided with the neccesary tools to create curriculum
designed for todays digital age.
LOCAL TOOLS
AND SOLUTIONS
One on One Student Session
Our program revolves around using local tools and solutions to provide students with the
skills they need to succeed in the communities they live and beyond.
It is not just about math and traditional education, we also focus on building a students’
confidence, leadership and communication skills, as well as, digital literacy training.
EVIDENCE-BASED IMPACT
88%
of participants feel comfortable using technology
92%
of students shared financial knowledge with their families
95%
of students started personal side businesses
Scholarships
—————
Providing children with merit-based and need-based scholarships.
Our merit-based and need-based scholarships provide low-income families from
rural East Africa an opportunity for their children to receive financial aid, student
support, and quality education. This allows motivated students to access higher
quality education.
Our exceptional students must meet certain standards to receive a
scholarship. The criteria includes academic achievement, good
behavior while in school, and ongoing family engagement. By creating
expectations, we ensure accountability for the student and offer shared
responsibility and support between Asante Africa staff and community.
Students are Falling off the Learning
Path!
Only 35%
of secondary students are girls.
(Sub-Saharan Africa. Mastercard Foundation)
We make sure girls have a fair opportunity to succeed. Our program provides
support and all the tools any student would need to discover who they are and
achieve their dreams.
65 Million
young people are not enrolled in secondary school
(Sub-Saharan Africa)
By supporting a child financially, emotionally and working alongside families, we
are helping to keep children in school.
Only 43%
of students will complete upper secondary school.
(Sub-Saharan Africa)
Supporting a child eleviates many of the challenges families face and allows a
student to continue their education.
Join our community. Get the latest updates!
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN A FULL
SCHOLARSHIP
Donors who provide a full scholarship will receive biannual scholarship reports,
student updates, personalized letters, and the chance to build a relationship.
A full scholarship ($1,000) covers 1 year of tuition, learning materials,
accommodations, and basic essentials.
Tuition / Fees
Exam fees, tuition, participation in events, access to workshops
Accommodations
Sheets, blanket, room and board, food
Learning Materials
Books, pens, pencils, textbooks, digital tools
Basic Essentials
Soap, masks, girls hygiene supplies, socks, uniforms, shoes
WHAT IS A “GET STARTED” SCHOLARSHIP?
We offer “Get Started” scholarships to provide students with the learning
materials and basic essentials they need to successfully start a new school year.
Provide a scholarship TODAY!
Step 1 of 2
50%
Donation Amount(Required)
$1,000
Annual
$84
Monthly
$310
Get Started Scholarship
Name(Required)
Email(Required)
All contributions to the Asante Africa Scholarship Program are fully
tax-deductible.
Scholarships are Keeping Students
on Track
106full Scholarships + 358 Get Started
Scholarships provided (2024)
100%
Transition Rate from Primary to Secondary
2,769
Full & Get Started Scholarships Given
(Since 2007)
79%
Secondary Scholars Qualified for Higher Education
(Nat. Avg. <60%)
A scholarship impacts a childs’ life and a families future.
Our scholar becomes the role model for potential and possibility. They
share their skills in savings and financial planning with a positive
impact on the extended family. This is how we know our “Pay-it-
Forward” model works!
Output
Young women and girls, survivors of gender-based violence, equipped with employability and
entrepreneurship skills
Successful completion of vocational training, leading to job placements and the creation of new
businesses.
Small businesses established and supported with seed funding and micro-loans.
Young women and girls, survivors of violence, becoming business owners and gaining financial assets.
Outcome
Increased access to economic opportunities, including job placements and self-employment among
targeted beneficiaries.
Improved financial independence for survivors of gender-based violence.
Improved economic well-being for young women and girls, reflected in higher income and better access to
resources (food, healthcare, education).
Strengthened business networks and increased market access for small enterprises.
Reduced economic marginalization among survivors of GBV, leading to greater self-sufficiency
Impact
Empowering young women and girls to achieve economic independence, breaking the cycle of
poverty and vulnerability, while fostering long-term reduction in gender-based violence and
promoting gender equality through equal livelihood opportunities