Enabel in Tanzania alongside colleagues from Enabel Brussels conducted an inception meeting for the WEZESHA BINTI Project (2023-2028) in collaboration with various partners and stakeholders in the Kigoma region from November 20th to 25th, 2023. The  meeting was meant to acquaint key partners and stakeholders about the Wezesha Binti Project, which focuses on empowering young people, especially young women and to  ensure they are thriving in a protective and gender-equal environment by  promoting their education and skills pathways and opportunities for decent work in the Kigoma Region. 

This project, centers on three key result domains: secondary education for vulnerable youth with a special emphasis on girls, skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship for decent work, and the establishment of a protective and gender-equal environment.  

Within these domains, the project encompasses targeted support provision, information dissemination, and awareness campaigns for re-entry, construction, rehabilitation, or upgrading of facilities. It also involves capacity building for school staff to offer quality counseling on gender-related issues, support for a comprehensive MHM (Menstrual Hygiene Management) model, and the improvement of secondary education quality in conducive learning environments through teacher in-service training, provision of materials, and support for life skills curriculum implementation. 

The project further focuses on providing youth, particularly young women, with labor market-relevant skills, contributing to their (self)employment and entrepreneurship. This includes increasing the quality and relevance of non-formal vocational education and training (VET), improving access to quality VET for vulnerable groups, and fostering an environment in Kigoma region that supports the needs of youth and women.

A key aspect of the project involves creating a supportive environment for girls, where communities, families, and local governments work together to enable girls and young women to further their education and achieve economic empowerment. 

Throughout the meeting, project partners and the implementation unit actively contributed to the project strategy, gaining a comprehensive understanding of project interventions, the theory of change, and the monitoring, learning, and evaluation framework. The discussions focused on the expected results from interventions, and potential risks were identified, with brainstorming sessions to formulate measures and mitigation strategies. 

Enabel, during the meeting shared project details and engaged in collaborative discussions with partners to ensure that girls and young women in targeted areas in Kigoma receive the necessary support. The goal is to provide diverse learning opportunities, enabling them to access environmentally friendly jobs and enhance entrepreneurial prospects. 

Moreover, Enabel facilitated roundtable discussions between the Project implementing team and key partners. This interactive session served as a platform to deepen understanding of the WEZESHA BINTI Project's objectives. The Enabel team actively engaged with partners, exchanging insights and perspectives to ensure a comprehensive grasp of the project's goals and strategies.