Technology training opens doors for girls in Tanzania

by Lemlem Kebede, World Vision Canada Grant Manager, Vision for Vulnerable Youth Initiative

On this World Youth Skills Day, we want to take a moment to encourage girls and young women to explore education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and to celebrate their accomplishments as leaders in ICT.

Funded by The Barrett Family Foundation and generous Canadians, our Vision for Vulnerable Youth (“Youth Ready”) programne connects young people to education, training, entrepreneurship and employment opportunities.

 Meet 20-year-old Zuwena, a Youth Ready facilitator from Tanzania who is making her career dreams in ICT a reality.

 Zuwena’s story

My name is Zuwena. I am a 20-year-old Youth Ready Facilitator from Tanzania. Just a short while ago, I was a girl whose dreams seemed to be fading away. I had to drop out of teaching college when my parents could no longer afford the tuition fee.

When I joined the Youth Ready project, everything changed. It was more than just a program, it was a turning point. It became the light that guided me through the fog of uncertainty, reigniting the dreams I once thought were slipping away.

Zuwena (left) and Carolyne Ekyarisiima, Executive Director, Apps for Girls, pose together during the graduation ceremony. (Photo credit: World Vision Tanzania)

Through Youth Ready, I was introduced to the Jovia Programme by Apps and Girls, a three-month digital empowerment journey that reshaped not only my skills but my mindset. I was no longer just a dreamer — I became a doer.

The Jovia Program opened doors I didn’t even know existed. I gained hands-on experience in web design, graphic design, coding, entrepreneurship and work readiness. What once felt like distant ideas became tools I could wield with confidence.

Now, I can build websites, create digital designs and understand the basics of business development. But more importantly, I’ve built something greater — belief in myself. I’ve become a young woman who is determined, focused, visionary and ready to lead change.

Thanks to Youth Ready and Jovia, I discovered that the power to transform my future was always within me — I just needed the right tools and support. My next step is to pursue a diploma in ICT to deepen my skills and reach even higher.

I know the tech world still has too few women but I’m proud to be one of the few who dared to rise. Because every time a girl like me steps into ICT, we don't just rewrite code, we rewrite the narrative for girls everywhere.

From having no profession to becoming a web designer, my journey is proof that no dream is too distant when courage meets opportunity. And believe me, the journey has only just begun.