Due to unequal gender dynamics, poverty and cultural norms, women´s access to education and productive resources like land, technology, training and finances is severely restricted in Zanzibar. The lack of capacities and opportunities to contribute to income generation keeps women economically dependent and hinders inclusive economic advancement.
Supporting women to actively participate in income generation and provide basic needs for themselves and their families is a key component to achieve socio-economic empowerment and poverty reduction. WEZA offers a range of innovative and market-responsive vocational training, digital skills and self-employment opportunities for women and out of school adolescent girls.
Supporting women to actively participate in income generation and provide basic needs for themselves and their families is a key component to achieve socio-economic empowerment and poverty reduction. WEZA offers a range of innovative and market-responsive vocational training, digital skills and self-employment opportunities for women and out of school adolescent girls.
TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
WEZA offers long-term vocational training in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Tourism and Hospitality Industry and Modern Tailoring as well as a range of short-term training in Income Generating Activity (IGA) skills like Food Production and Value Addition, Natural Fabric Printing, Soap Production and Eco-friendly Upcycling for Accessories and Jewellery. Ultimately, we envisions to offer more digital and technical and less gender-biased training to Zanzibar´s adolescent girls and young women.
We particularly encourage out of school girls and young mothers to gain capacities to start their own businesses and to raise their employability. We provide free access to professional childcare in our training centre´s kindergarten and preschool to support the mothers´ ability to attend training regularly.
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YOUNG WOMEN IN AGRI-BUSINESS
WEZA´s training approach is particularly geared to attract young rural women to take up income generating activities along agricultural value chains. We offer a three week skills camp for young women to develop all necessary capacities to start their own business in various fields, like Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Production, Poultry Farming, Establishment of Tree Nurseries, Vegetable Gardens and Herb Gardens, and Food Processing & Value Addition. |
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Trough training in entrepreneurship women are able to link their acquired vocational skills to the acquisition of managerial competencies required to build and manage a small business efficiently and profitably. Women are introduced to micro-enterprise concepts and skills in planning, budgeting, recording cash flows, marketing, basic marketing English and sales strategies to manage their own micro-enterprise.
Trough training in entrepreneurship women are able to link their acquired vocational skills to the acquisition of managerial competencies required to build and manage a small business efficiently and profitably. Women are introduced to micro-enterprise concepts and skills in planning, budgeting, recording cash flows, marketing, basic marketing English and sales strategies to manage their own micro-enterprise.
DIGITAL LITERACY & mMARKETING
Improving women’s and girl´s digital skills and competencies is not only a matter of equal opportunities, it is also an important economic factor to improve their economic participation. Women entrepreneurs in agri-business value chains or the tailoring and handicraft sector, for instance, can drastically increase their income if they know how to use the internet to sell their goods. We offer every woman participating in our vocational and skills training the opportunity to aquire mobile marketing (mMarketing) skills. This digital component includes practical training on smartphones and imparts women with knowledge on how to use existing mobile technologies for marketing (e.g. WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram) and how to make use of the internet to access market information.
Improving women’s and girl´s digital skills and competencies is not only a matter of equal opportunities, it is also an important economic factor to improve their economic participation. Women entrepreneurs in agri-business value chains or the tailoring and handicraft sector, for instance, can drastically increase their income if they know how to use the internet to sell their goods. We offer every woman participating in our vocational and skills training the opportunity to aquire mobile marketing (mMarketing) skills. This digital component includes practical training on smartphones and imparts women with knowledge on how to use existing mobile technologies for marketing (e.g. WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram) and how to make use of the internet to access market information.
WEZA aims at realizing the possible positive impact of Zanzibar´s fast expanding tourism sector on income generation for women. The development of strong supply chain linkages between women entrepreneurs and the tourist souvenir and hospitality sector offer the potential to strengthen local and inclusive economic growth.
FINANCIAL LITERACY & MICRO-FINANCIAL SERVICES
WEZA offers training in saving & lending to make micro-financial investment services available for women. Women also learn about the safe and efficient use of digital financial services via mobile money technology. This represents an opportunity to strengthen women´s financial inclusion in an economy where women are largely excluded from formal financial services. The goal is to digitize value chains to enable secure movement of cash paid through mobile money services.
WEZA offers training in saving & lending to make micro-financial investment services available for women. Women also learn about the safe and efficient use of digital financial services via mobile money technology. This represents an opportunity to strengthen women´s financial inclusion in an economy where women are largely excluded from formal financial services. The goal is to digitize value chains to enable secure movement of cash paid through mobile money services.