Voice of Encouragement (VET) was founded by nine members (six women and three men) who are passionate about girl’s and young women’s rights and development in Tanzania. The organisation is managed by independent, non-partisan indigenous professionals with special training in humanitarian interventions, human rights, health, child protection and capacity strengthening programmes. VET works with adolescent girls and young women in Tanzania, promoting gender equality and addressing young women’s empowerment issues since its inception. Most projects focus on the issues of violence against women (VAW), capacity building and tackling child marriage and teen pregnancy. This results in the sensitisation of the parliamentarians on their role in addressing young women’s rights to participate in political activity, ensuring that more young women have greater political agency and recognition of young women in decision-making capacities.

The Binti change project creates a platform for young women to access decision-making spaces and take part in political processes. Young women are either neglected or are afraid of engaging in political activities due to cultural issues and fear. This project strengthens young women, including indigenous young women, women from minority ethnic groups, and young women with disabilities, to see opportunities in political activities and decision-making in Tanga and Morogoro regions.

This is done by identifying 30 girls with leadership traits and conducting 3-days leadership skills training to university and secondary schools female students. After the training, the university girl students are linked to Nguvu ya Mwanamke network, and the secondary school girls form Voice clubs in their respective schools/localities. The participants are from indigenous ethnic groups and women with disabilities. Furthermore, the counterpart holds a 1-day discussion meeting between the Tanzania women parliamentarians group and two young women representatives from each region on a mentoring programme for young women’s participation in political engagement. The counterpart works with Furaha ya Wanawake Wajasiriamali Kwa viziwi Tanzania (FUWAVITA) to meet with women parliamentarians to echo the issues young women experience in leadership and politics.