• Tanzania
  • Resources
  • Capacity Building
  • Empowerment
  • Empowerment

Quick information guide

Why women empowerment?

Compared to men, Tanzanian women are subjected to various setbacks that affect their ability to conduct development activities perfectly.

  • Limited access to social justice
  • Limited access to social services such as education, health and water
  • Low participation in economic development
  • Gender based violence incidences such as sexual harassment and domestic violence
  • Limited access to financial services

Women empowerment actors have put in place women empowerment programmes that include soft and hard skills:

  • Digital literacy
  • Financial inclusion
  • Livelihood skills
  • Human rights and civil society
  • Environmental stewardship
  • Micro enterprise
  • Women’s health

Women empowerment programmes in Tanzania

Women economic empowerment in Tanzania is vital as more than 50.56% of the population is made of women who are responsible for daily food security and other social economic activities.

It is critical to empower women economically for national economy to grow at a desired pace. Women are often deprived of means of production and this leads to a generalised development issue for the whole country.

Different development actors have taken cognizance of this issue and have set up empowerment programmes.

National Economic Empowerment Council (NEEC)

supports women to access justice in the formal court 

Private Agricultural Sector Support (PASS) Trust

PASS empowers business women the agricultural sector
angle-left THE BAREFOOT COLLEGE-ZANZIBAR

THE BAREFOOT COLLEGE-ZANZIBAR

  

TITLE

THE BAREFOOT COLLEGE-ZANZIBAR

SUMMARY

The Barefoot College Zanzibar provides training for those who have never had that opportunity before especially illiterate women, by teaching them practical skills on solar energy, beekeeping and sewing, provide knowledge that inspire sustainable and fair solutions across East Africa.

ABOUT BAREFOOT

Barefoot College Zanzibar has been placing women at the heart of bringing light to their communities, creating a place of learning, discovery and transformation for rural women living on less than $1.20 a day, most of whom never accessed formal education. Committed to catalyzing transformation of poor rural communities, able to sustain and manage their own initiatives into the future, creating stronger civil society, better educational outcomes for their children and sustainable economic independence for women.

Trainees are often illiterate or semi-literate women who maintain strong roots in their villages and play a major role in community development, bringing sustainable electricity to remote, inaccessible villages.

As of 2018, about 105 rural women have been trained on solar engineering, beekeeping, sewing, financial inclusion, digital skills, nutrition and reproductive health

LIST OF SERVICES PROVIDED 

Solar energy program: The Barefoot College trains middle-aged women from rural villages to become solar engineers. In partnership with local and national organizations, the Barefoot team establishes relationships with village elders, who help identify trainees who then implement the program. These illiterate and semi illiterate women build, install and maintain household solar electrification system and portable lanterns serving rural poor community in the country.

 

Beekeeping program: As part of Enrich Beekeeping Programme, the college select and train women to sustainable beekeeping practices. Barefoot Women Beekeepers become both beneficiaries and suppliers of Social Enterprise Barefoot Honey which is sold in the local markets across the country.

 

Sewing program: This six months program, trained women how to sew different clothes. They also trained to manufacture organic sanitary pads which become the successful project where these pads sold in different areas in the community as well distributed in schools for students who can’t afford to buy pads in regular basis.

 

Other programs: Barefoot also provide the following programs for women entrepreneurs who want to join their classes.

  • Digital literacy
  • Financial inclusion
  • Livelihood skills
  • Human rights and civil society
  • Environmental stewardship
  • Micro enterprise
  • Self-awareness
  • Women’s health

 

Eligibility criteria

For solar energy program

  • A woman aged 35- 50 (For solar programs)
  • Must be a semi illiteracy or literacy
  • Have leadership qualities or characteristics
  • A permanent resident of the village she comes from
  • Have influence in the community she lives
  • The community that the member is selected must be away from the main road and has no access to power(electricity)

Program duration: the program is 5-month basis and it runs twice a year.

For other programs

  • Any woman who need training and skills in entrepreneurship is eligible to join the courses.

Benefits of the programs

  • Equipped with different skills provided in the college
  • Ability to create income generating activities
  • Source of income

Link to critical information

http://barefootcollege-zanzibar.org/

 

Public Events

  • Women Trade exhibitions
  • International Women Day

 

Contacts 

Barefoot college Zanzibar
Vocational Training Centre – Kinyasini Zanzibar
Tel: +255 621 849613
Email: info@barefootcollege-zanzibar.org
Website: http://barefootcollege-zanzibar.org/