Empowering street connected girls

The project led by Railway Children Africa aiming to empower street-connected girls and young women with the tools they need to secure a sustainable income, enabling them to support themselves and their dependents has successfully come to an end. The primary objective of the project was to empower two groups of approximately 30 at-risk and street-connected girls and young women aged 15-24 in Dar es Salaam with the skills and confidence needed to generate their income, enabling them to break away from street life and sex work permanently. The project exceeded the planned number of beneficiaries. It was implemented in Kinondoni municipal council, this was based on a recommendation from the District Authorities who identified the council as having a higher concentration of vulnerable Girls and Young Women (GYW) in the Dar es Salaam region. By the project's end, 16 GYW completed apprenticeship/vocational training (5 tailoring courses, 2 - housekeeping, 7 - hairdressing and beauty apprenticeships, and 2 - catering and food processing). Additionally, 19 GYW opted to start small businesses, and they were provided with enhanced training in business management and provided with business start-up materials to launch their ventures. The girls were also equipped with life skills including sexual and reproductive health. All beneficiaries, including their 23 children were provided with an Integrated Health Insurance Fund (ICHF) to enhance their access to health care. All of the young ladies increased their income to the project target of 80% enabling them to reach self-sufficiency and autonomy, underlining the positive impact this initiative has had on their lives. 35 GYW supported establishing sustainable income-generating activities through self-run businesses by providing training and a start-up packages.

Founded in 2010, Railway Children Africa is the East African local affiliate of the Railway Children Global Group and provides empowering solutions to street-connected children and youth in an East African context.