Threading a future

The sun in Kigoma rarely blazes bright. Instead, it lingers behind a haze, casting a deep red glow over the dusty ground. A quiet reflection of Antini Makepa’s life: filled with challenges yet holding on to the promise of something brighter. 

Seventeen-year-old Antini leans over a sewing machine in a stall so small it barely fits two people. A thread rests between her lips as she guides the needle with steady hands, her brow furrowed in concentration. Behind her, colourful fabrics hang like a vibrant curtain, while half-finished garments spill across worn chairs.  

“I love fashion! It’s my calling. My dream is to have my own shop with 30 sewing machines, where I can also teach young people,” Antini says, a shy laugh breaking through as she speaks about her future. 

Antini’s life was once much simpler.  She was a schoolgirl who loved art, supported by her parents. ” My late husband and I shared one dream: that all five of our daughters would complete their education. He used to  ‘education is the one thing no one can ever take away from you’”, recalls Antini’s mom, Koretha.  

But then tragedy struck. Antini’s father suffered a mental breakdown and turned to alcohol. “He wasn’t himself anymore,” Koretha says, her voice breaking. “One day, I found him lying cold on the floor. A moment that will stay with me forever.” 

His death changed everything. The first two daughters married young, leaving Antini and her two younger sisters at home. At just 17, Antini became the head of the household, carrying responsibilities far beyond her years. Her mornings begin before sunrise: fetching water from the lake, sweeping the yard, preparing her sisters for school. She watches them leave, determined that they will not have to drop out of school. 

“I want my sisters to have a better future. When dad passed, I knew I had to step up to help my mother and the little ones. Even though I wanted to learn, it felt impossible,” Antini says. 

Her mother’s pride is mixed with worry. “Sometimes I feel guilty because she should be in school, not taking care of us,” says Koretha, seated in their small outdoor kitchen with its sagging thatched roof. A pot of porridge simmers on the fire, beans bubbling in another. Lunch will be shared between the family and, when possible, with neighbours and grandchildren.  

For Antini, the absence of her father weighs on her, not just emotionally but in every aspect of her life. Days blended into one another, marked by chores and hunger. Yet beneath the hardship, she nurtured a subtle ambition. She longed to find a path forward. A way to turn struggle into strength, loss into learning. 

In 2023, her ambition was met with an opportunity . Antini’s uncle told her about Ujana Salama—meaning “Safe Youth” in Swahili. A UNICEF-supported cash-plus programme implemented by the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) with support from the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS). The programme combines cash grants with training in livelihoods, sexual and reproductive health, HIV awareness and mentoring. Since its launch, it has reached 21,000adolescents (14-19 years) across Mbeya, Iringa, Kigoma, and Songwe, helping to reduce poverty and open new opportunities for vulnerable youth. 

Through Ujana Salama, Antini received TZS 200,000 (approximately USD 80), with which she bought a dress with flowers, a pair of sandals for herself as well as a sewing machine. A simple purchase that would begin to stitch her dreams back together. 

“My sewing machine changed my life! I can create clothes and provide for my family,” she says. Today, she earns about TZS 3,000–4,000 (USD 1.20–1.60) a day, working at a market stall alongside Esther, a local seamstress who has become her mentor. The money she earns might feel very small, but Antini can now bring home flour, beans, or a small portion of fish. Meals have become a little more certain, and her sisters look at her with admiration. Beyond food, she found purpose. 

But Antini’s ambitions stretch far beyond her stall. Through the Every Adolescent Girl Learns programme, funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by UNICEF, she will soon receive formal tailoring training. The course will sharpen her technical skills and teach her business management.  

“Right now, I can make simple dresses and school uniforms,” she says, running her fingers over a neatly stitched seam. “But one day, I hope to dress celebrity singers like Nandy and Zuchu. I even dream of having my own fashion show!” 

For Antini, the sewing machine is a thread connecting her past to her future, weaving together grief, survival, and hope. 

As the market quiets at the end of the day, the steady hum of the machine continues as Antini stitches the fabric of her future with her own hands.