From Dreams to Reality

My name is Vasta and I am 17 years old. I live in Tunduma town, and I am the firstborn in my family.

I completed my primary school education in 2022, but I did not enter into the government secondary school and my mother couldn't afford to send me to a private one. During that time, I was just at home, not doing much, even though I always dreamed of becoming a successful tailor here in Tunduma.

In 2024, I heard about the Integrated Programme for Out-of-School Adolescents (IPOSA) when I attended a meeting at my younger sibling's school. The headmaster talked about the courses offered by IPOSA, including tailoring, and I thought it was a great chance to join as I see a future where I could become a successful tailor. So, in July, I joined the programme and got training in life skills and entrepreneurship, and I also took a tailoring course, which had always been my dream. I even learned how to make soap and batik, an art of decorating cloth using wax and dye. I learned how to use a sewing machine and mastered different tailoring styles through the training.

I was also linked with a mentor, Ms. Maria Nzonda, who helped me learn more advanced sewing techniques and styles that were not covered in the IPOSA course.

I'm grateful to my mentors because now I can sew many different styles that customers request. They've been teaching us step by step to make sure we understand, and with more practice, it has helped me get better and understand things more clearly.

One of my greatest achievements, which has significantly changed my life, is that I was able to take a loan to which my mother contributed, and I bought a sewing machine. Once I complete my mentorship, I can start my own tailoring business. In addition, my mom also helped me open a small kiosk where I sell household goods and juice. Through this business, I earn a small daily profit.

At first, I depended on my mom for everything, but now I even buy her airtime. I encourage other girls to join IPOSA because it has so many benefits, especially when it comes to being financially independent. Now, I'm busy with my business every morning. 

Also, I was chosen to be a community volunteer and receive training on Saving and Internal Lending Communities (SILC). After the training, I managed to form and train a SILC group called 'Love Group' which has 25 adolescent girls as members. The topics covered during the training included developing a constitution, record keeping, and meeting procedures. Through the training I received, I was able to convince 12 adolescent girls to join IPOSA.

I felt so proud as an advocate when I got the chance to speak on Crown Media Radio in Dar es Salaam about the effect of gender-based violence on adolescent girls.

Since joining IPOSA, my confidence has really taken off. I can now speak in front of people, something I was too shy to do before. This newfound confidence has empowered me to share my story of escaping child marriage and inspire other young girls. It also helped me get selected as a UNICEF Youth Advocate for ending child marriage.  

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Under the adolescent girls’ empowerment programme for ending child marriage in Songwe to implement UNICEF’s global Adolescent Girls’ Strategy, UNICEF is working together with partners including the government and CSOs such as Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to ensure that adolescent girls are empowered socially and economically so that they can become self-sufficient and productive members of their communities. Through IPOSA, out-of-school adolescent girls aged 14 to 19 years are provided literacy, pre-vocational, entrepreneurship, and life skills training. Based on a market assessment that identified sectors that can engage adolescent girls, the economic empowerment programme was rolled out at selected IPOSA centres to provide the girls with skills such as cookery, ICT, poultry, hairdressing and agriculture based on their interest and provided additional support such as mentorship. Girls are also supported to become members of savings and loans groups so that they can borrow funds for their entrepreneurial efforts. So far, more than 30,000 adolescents like Vasta have benefited from the programme, the majority are girls.