Her Initiative is a women–led nonprofit organization in Tanzania dedicated to breaking cycles of poverty by enabling adolescent girls and young women to learn, earn, and lead with confidence. Through economic resilience-building programs including entrepreneurship and digital skills training, school-based empowerment clubs, and youth-led innovation initiatives, thousands of girls and young women have gained skills, improved their economic opportunities, and strengthened their confidence to lead.
In Tanzania, only 34% of girls complete lower secondary education and 12% complete upper secondary education. Poverty, early pregnancy, and child marriage remain major contributors to school dropout among girls. Such gaps significantly limit girls’ future employment opportunities and reinforce cycles of gender inequality and poverty. Furthermore, limited access to life skills and financial literacy education means that many girls lack the tools to navigate economic pressures or build pathways toward financial independence.
With support from the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund, Her Initiative will implement its Mschiko Clubs initiative, which is designed to keep girls in school by strengthening their agency, financial literacy, and entrepreneurial extracurricular activities to increase their engagement in school. The project establishes girls-led extracurricular clubs in public secondary schools, where girls learn leadership and practical skills by managing school-based income-generating activities. The project incorporates mentorship and career exposure opportunities, integrates digital learning support, and also engages parents, teachers, and local government stakeholders through sensitization sessions.
The Mshiko Clubs are expected to reach 1,000 girls and more than 1,000 community members. Ultimately, the Mshiko Clubs initiative aims to increase school retention, strengthen financial capability, and nurture a generation of confident, entrepreneurial young women who can break cycles of poverty and become changemakers in their communities. Through this project, Her Initiative hopes to empower girls not only to remain in school but also to develop the skills, resilience, and ambition needed to shape their own futures.
To learn more about Her Initiative, please visit the organization’s social media pages:
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