Afri-Tanzania Volunteers for Change (AVC) is a non-governmental and charitable organisation registered and operating in Tanzania by the laws of the United Republic of Tanzania. AVC works to empower children, women, and youth and mitigate the problems of poverty, gender, inequality, and education in Tanzania’s mainland. AVC was founded by six young men and women (four women and two men) eager to uplift themselves from unemployment and poverty and make positive changes within their communities.

AVC focuses on empowering children, women, and youth through capacity strengthening and economic empowerment programs to mitigate poverty in Tanzania. We conduct educational workshops, training sessions, and seminars dedicated to helping disadvantaged groups reach their full potential. The organization has professional and experienced staff managing community projects for several years. AVC has successfully implemented several sustainable projects, namely the Women’s Economic Empowerment Project, the Invest in One Child Project, and the Afterschool Project, since its establishment in 2014.

Violence against women is a significant issue in my community. Through this project, the community will be empowered about gender equality and harmful prejudices that limit women’s rights based on religious faith. Afri-Tanzania Volunteers for Change (AVC) will execute a community awareness campaign to reach project beneficiaries to reach a targeted community and solve the barrier. AVC has partnered with Art Group in Dar es Salaam to collaborate on the campaign. The art group will perform numerous dramas that will offer various messages to educate the community about women’s rights, stop stereotypes that violate women’s rights, and promote equality. We will distribute posters, leaflets, and magazines to the assembled crowd with messages about gender equality. Furthermore, AVC will hold workshops in each community to educate men and women about gender equality and combat the stereotypes contributing to gender-based violence (GBV). Participants will include community members (including men and women), village officials, and religious leaders. Professional facilitators on GBV and human rights will be involved. Religious leaders will provide information on how to stop the violation of the stereotype of women.

The participative method will be employed in the workshops and training to ensure that project participants act as agents and front-line ambassadors in raising knowledge of their rights. Some of our team members have been victims of GBV, and they will work together to achieve the project’s objectives. In addition,village leaders and victims of GBV from the targeted community will attend the workshops to share their experiences and educate other participants. The project aims to prepare beneficiaries to positively contribute to their community in order to reduce the harmful stereotypes that create GBV and other forms of violence that are destructive to the community.