Save the Children impacting youth innovation

Towards fulfilling the 2022-2024 Country strategic plan, in August 2022 Save the Children partnered with Africa Youth Transformation(AYT) for Tanzania Emerging Youth Awards (TEYA) and introduced a category in the youth innovation challenge. The challenge aimed to recognize, Identify and award youth who are innovative in tackling problems that are facing children and young people in the community.

This is the first time Save the children have introduced and awarded two categories including youth-owned business such as technology start-ups, climate change, adolescent sexual reproductive health, and child protection and CSOs (Civil society organisation) with programs that have an impact on young people and children. Inviting all youth to participate in the challenges.

More than 200 youth participated in the challenge and only 87 nominees successfully pitched their ideas and only 18 were able to go through to the next stage where only 8 winners were awarded 2000 USD each as a seeding fund for two categories (Youth owned business  and CSOs)

Winners for Green Business and Climate category was Malema Foundation which provides communities around forest reserves with alternative means of earning a livelihood and stops them from burning charcoal and PONICKS an organisation that does sustainable farming that brings together fish and crops together in the same farming unit, No use of soil and they provide food to the urban community.

Tech-Startup Category winners were Mama Health developed a mobile app that ensures women attend their prenatal clinic and MEDPACK has developed an app that helps pharmacies order and receives medical supplies at an affordable cost.

In the health category, Pearl Aroma Therapy won the award, this is a group that supports women's mental health by providing a clinic for women to discuss their mental health issues, and the final winner in the green business and climate change category was Ishi Max, this is agribusiness for small scale farmers focusing on providing access to cleans source of energy such as solar pumps.

Save the Children is not only limited into working with children but also helping youth in making progress at all levels. Being involved in decision-making in matters that are affecting them. The goal is to influence the public budget for youth and advocate for their work even at the national level.