Innovation
Solutions by young people for young people
What is UNICEF Tanzania doing with innovation?
UNICEF Tanzania’s Innovation Strategy focuses on adolescents from 15-19 years of age and young adults from 20-24 years of age. Solutions address education-related challenges, such as drop-outs between primary to secondary education, through partnerships with both in-school and out of school children and university students.
UNICEF partners with the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) in Tanzania to establish the youth for children (Y4C), which targets university students between 20-24 years of age. Y4C provides technological resources, design workshops, trainings and skill-based seminars to enhance the leadership and innovation capacity of young people in Tanzania. Y4C helps UDSM to promote challenge-driven research among students and contribute to development in the community by providing opportunity for UNICEF and UDSM to invest in innovative solutions for Tanzanian children, adolescents and women.
With 70 per cent of Tanzania’s population under 30, innovation for youth and led by youth can be harnessed towards promoting adolescent health, nutrition, and wellbeing.
What are some of the results?
Since the launch, more than 200 students have pursued the curriculum and over 30 faculty have been trained on the delivery of the curriculum. Through human-centered design, Y4C students have engaged adolescents in secondary schools enrolling them as co-creators of solutions to challenges faced by their peers.
Over 15 innovation initiatives addressing issues in education, sanitation, health and protection have been developed by young people.
“Young people should be at the forefront of global change, and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace.”
