UNICEF and youth-led agency Restless Development (Tanzania) have entered into a 14-month collaborative effort to bolster school retention and learning continuity for some of Tanzania’s most marginalised adolescent girls. Backed by a substantial investment,the programme is being rolled out across underserved communities in the Songwe, Tabora, and Kigoma regions — areas where educational inequality is both entrenched and generational.
With the country’s youth population rising steadily — propelled by an annual growth rate of 3% — Tanzania faces the daunting task of expanding equitable access to education while confronting persistent structural barriers. According to the 2024 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS), nearly 20% of the population over the age of four has never attended school. For girls, the figures are starker still, with non-attendance at 21.8%, and dropout commonly triggered by poverty, early marriage, and menstruation-related stigma.
Against this backdrop, the UNICEF–Restless Development partnership seeks to stabilise and uplift the educational journeys of 4,000 adolescent girls and boys aged 10–19. It will do so through a multi-pronged approach: targeted financial aid, the provision of essential learning and menstrual hygiene materials, teacher capacity-building, and community engagement campaigns to shift harmful social norms.
The initiative spans 37 hard-to-reach localities, including Buhigwe, Kakonko, Momba, Nzega, and Tunduma, where school infrastructure is limited, and dropout rates are unacceptably high. It also makes strategic use of digital tools such as KOBO Collect to monitor progress and ensure that interventions are data-informed and responsive to shifting on-the-ground realities.
Linus Katonto, Hub Director for Restless Development Tanzania, welcomed the collaboration with measured optimism:
“This partnership with UNICEF speaks to the kind of bold, systemic change that Tanzania’s education sector urgently needs. It reflects an alignment of purpose — combining UNICEF’s global expertise with our grassroots experience. Together, we are not merely delivering services, but restoring dignity and opportunity to girls whose futures have long been deferred by structural neglect. We hope this program serves not only as a catalyst for educational retention but as a model for future partnerships rooted in equity and accountability.”
Beyond direct beneficiaries, the initiative is expected to reach over 1.2 million Tanzanians through community-based awareness campaigns and radio outreach. Collaborations with specialist organisations such as AfriPads, Femme International, and SHIVYAWATA will ensure that the needs of girls with disabilities, menstrual health management, and safeguarding are meaningfully addressed throughout.
This undertaking is not a stand-alone intervention but forms part of a larger continuum of efforts to realise SDG 4 — inclusive, quality education for all. It places vulnerable adolescents at the centre of Tanzania’s development narrative and recognises that their empowerment is not ancillary to national progress, but fundamental to it.
