#116Stories

Like many organisations, we spend a lot of time thinking about programmes. We think about children, families, communities, activities, outcomes and impact. Fundraising often sits somewhere in the background. Necessary, of course, but separate from what feels like the real work.

For decades, an invisible engine has kept families, communities, and economies running across Tanzania: unpaid care work. From fetching water and preparing meals to providing round-the-clock assistance to family members with disabilities, this labor is essential. Yet, it remains largely unrecognized, undervalued, and drastically unequal.

As online risks grow, so does the need for stronger case management systems that move at the speed of harm, faster, coordinated mechanisms to identify and apprehend perpetrators, accessible, long-term MHPSS services for child survivors and sustained investment in helplines as critical child protection infrastructure.

Nearly six in ten young women in Tanzania have experienced online harassment. Many have faced threats or non-consensual sharing of their images. Some have responded not by speaking out, but by stepping back.

We were reminded that shared values, those shaped by history, culture, and collective experience are the true entry point for meaningful engagement. That when we build from what communities already hold, rather than what we think they lack, something shifts. As the days unfolded, we moved deeper into the heart of the Tostan Model.

What does it take to ensure that adolescents and young people have the information, support and services they need to make safe and informed choices? In Kisarawe District, the answer begins with conversation, collaboration and leadership commitment.

Watoto wetu wako likizo. Milango ya shule imefungwa, ratiba za kila siku zimebadilika, na nyumbani kuna muda mwingi zaidi wa pamoja. Katika kipindi hiki, ni rahisi sana sisi kama wazazi kuruhusu simu na runinga kuchukua nafasi kubwa ya siku hasa tunapojaribu kupumzika au kutekeleza majukumu mengine ya maisha.

Kipindi cha likizo na sikukuu huwa na mvuto wake wenyewe: vicheko, harufu za chakula, pilikapilika za wageni, na watoto kukimbizana kila upande. Ni msimu unaojaza nyumba furaha hadi pale tunaposikia. “Mama! Amenichukulia kitu changu!” “Baba! Amenisukuma!”

Have you ever received a call saying your child was involved in a conflict at school and your heart jumped to your child's defense before you even heard the other side of the story?