What We Do
To provide safety and economic opportunities to out-of-school girls in the community
When a teenage girl gets pregnant while in school her life changes negatively, chances are that she will not finish her education, which will lead to low employment/economic prospects, and will become vulnerable to poverty. In most cultures, she will be forced to marry the person who made her pregnant against her wish or even when she might not be ready. Teenage pregnancy no matter how unfortunate it is is always treated as a shame to the family and the girl is the one who always carries the blame and suffers the consequences.
Iyanna Foundation wants to give a second chance in life to teenage mothers who find themselves in such situations, this is to break the poverty cycle that they are highly likely to find themselves into. We intend to do this by providing shelter, counseling to young mothers who have been neglected by their community after finding out that they are pregnant. In the shelter the girls will be able to
- Get a shelter where they can stay until they give birth
- Get counseling services and not limited to pre and postnatal care
- Career advice for those willing to continue with education
- Vocational training for economic empowerment and independence
Mentorship program to young girls in schools and local communities
When asked what or who they want to be when they grow up, most girls in Tanzania will say, teacher, nurse, hotelier among other careers mainly defined by gender stereotype, rarely will you hear a girl especially those from poor background wanting to be a mathematician, a scientist, a computer engineer. The lack of aspiration in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) among girls can be attributed to a lack of mentors and mentorship among others.
The Iyanna Foundation Mentorship program is intended to promote the studies of STEM subjects to girls in both primary and secondary schools. This will be done by introducing girls to basic computer programs and computer coding at an early age in schools and communities through coding camps targeting girls coming from poor backgrounds. The organization will also be linking prominent women in Tanzania society to young girls who will be taken through personal mentorship programs, the main areas being addressed in the sessions will not be limited to STEM subjects but the general outlook of opportunities and barriers that women face to achieve their potential.
Community awareness on attitude towards sex and health education among teenagers and youths.
In Tanzania, there isn’t a comprehensive curriculum on awareness and attitude towards sex and health education among teenagers and youths taught in schools. Within the communities, it is still taboo for parents to talk to their teenage children about the changes they feel and face during puberty in their teen years. With a lack of information from someone who cares about a child’s development, the only way that most teenage girls learn about changes in their teen years is through friends and social media which in most cases guide them to harmful rabbit holes.
To address the challenges of teen pregnancies, we will be conducting community awareness and peer education in schools. We believe that when teenagers are engaged in a safe and friendly environment with the right information about their physical and emotional development in their teen years, they will be able in a good position to have a plan for their future, postpone early sexual encounters, focus more on education and personal development and be informed to distinguish between myths and reality about their development into adulthood.