Our Youth Empowerment Programs
We provide life-changing programs centered on quality education for vulnerable youth and women, empowering them to become active, contributing citizens.
Life Changing Programs
College Scholarships in Africa and the United States
Business Empowerment (BE) Program
Meet Some of Our Students
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Mary
Mary’s laughter can brighten any room. After earning her medical degree in 2024, she’s now completing her internship—driven by her dream to become one of Tanzania’s first female orthopedic surgeons and inspire more young women to pursue medicine.
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Peter
Peter was just six years old when we found him. He was hungry, and surviving on his own. Today, he walks confidently into courtrooms as a law student at Mzumbe University. With graduation on the horizon in 2027, Peter is on track to become a voice for justice in Tanzania. A journey from struggle to strength.
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Christina
Christina brings passion and purpose to everything she does. A recent Human Resources graduate from Mzumbe University, she’s now working in micro loans in Arusha while applying for HR assistant roles—blending her business skills with her drive to create meaningful change in her community.
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Benny
Benny is currently studying pharmacy in Uganda with the goal of one day opening his own pharmacy in Tanzania. He is passionate about improving healthcare access in his home village and is determined to ensure that people there have reliable access to the medicines they need to treat illness and live healthier lives.
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Elliona
Despite facing the loss of loved ones and ongoing health challenges, Elliona loves to joke around. He is currently pursuing a degree in procurement at the Institute of Accountancy in Dar es Salaam and will graduate at the end of 2025.
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Esther
Esther comes from a rural farming family that faced significant financial challenges and couldn’t afford formal education. Despite these obstacles, she recently graduated from a university in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is now building an exciting career in London, working with startups.
College Scholarships in Africa
What the Program Does
Since 2006, we have been fully supporting children who once lived in an orphanage in Tanzania and are now attending secondary school and college. Beyond covering tuition, we provide additional support—such as meals, boarding, medical care, and transportation—depending on their needs. This comprehensive support enables them to focus on finishing their education and ultimately building successful careers.
Who We Help
A majority of the youth we help come from households with monthly incomes of just $30. Most have lost one or more of their parents. All are ambitious, grateful and hardworking. They have to maintain a minimum of a C average and give back to their communities to continue to receive support.
Results
100% have graduated from secondary school
Eight students have graduated from college.
Our first graduate from college donates $1,000 annually back to our organization.
Two of the four graduates are on our board. One has his masters in statistics and another is working on getting his PhD in neuroscience.
Success Stories
We believe that we’re in this world to help each other.
Every year, our students demonstrate perseverance, reminding us that obstacles can be overcome and that one person can change a life forever.
This is Innocent. He was once a little boy without a bed to call his own, sleeping on cold floors, often going to bed hungry. He was told his parents had simply gone away, but they never came back. As he grew older, the truth sank in, and the pain of being called an orphan followed him everywhere. Today, he is not defined by loss but by resilience, and opportunity. He received his degree and recently started running his own store.
This is Revo. After losing his father at a young age, he cared for his sick mother before eventually moving into an orphanage. He earned a full-ride scholarship to Duke University and went on to complete a Master’s degree through Boston University. Today, he works as a data scientist in California’s Bay Area while giving back to his community in Tanzania.
This is Jonas. Once, he didn’t understand the importance of education and believed his fate was to live and die on the streets. But he went on to graduate from secondary school and attended Mweka Wildlife College of Management, where he earned a certificate in wildlife management. Since then, he has worked as a tourist guide and as a welder for a solar company.
Business Empowerment
(BE) Program
What the Program Does
The Business Empowerment (BE) Program was created as our Tanzanian college students began graduating and encountered challenges in applying for jobs, interviewing, and starting their own businesses. Each year, we support 400 students through this program. It is called the BE Program because it empowers youth to “Be” self-sufficient by equipping them with the skills and confidence to secure employment or launch their own businesses. Ultimately, the program helps young people “Be” contributors to their communities, fostering a cycle of growth and giving back.
The BE program is 100% free for participants, funded entirely through the generosity of our supporters.
Our comprehensive curriculum is facilitated by local trainers. This program is now global. We have trained trainers working in Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Costa Rica, Belize, Pakistan and the USA.
The curriculum covers:
Creating a resume and cover letter that standout
Mock interviews
Overcoming poverty
Financial management and savings
Creating business plans
Applying for jobs (where and how)
Health care options
Networking skills
Here are the results
100% of the graduates of the BE Program say the Program improved their understanding of the job market and the skills required for employment.
89% definitely would recommend the Program to others seeking job preparation assistance and 11% would likely recommend it.
73% of the students who were actively looking for a job received a job within six months of graduating from the Program.
The Journey
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The Beginning
Students started out on desktop computers; most had never been on computers before.
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Our First 50 Students
Our first pilot program enabled 50 young women to graduate with certificates in computer studies.
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More Students and Improvements
The students now each have a laptop to use. We have a new cohort of 30 students each month.
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Expanding Globally
We’ve expanded our training to Latin America efficiently through local partnerships.
US College Scholarships
What the Program Does
We provide scholarships to hardworking students around the world who demonstrate significant financial need. Our scholarships cover tuition, health insurance and campus housing.
Results
Recent past graduates have graduated from the following schools:
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Chico State, UC Boulder, UC Davis, and U of Hawaii with degrees in computer animation, psychology and business.
Apply
Our Annual Scholarship Application
Note: Funds have already been awarded to students up until 2026.
This is an annual application. Every year students who have already been awarded scholarships must re-apply, the application deadline is August 1st. Accepted students receive help with their school tuition and boarding (paid to the school) scholarship based on need depending on the two or four-year college in attendance. Please note that recipients must meet the following criteria in order to maintain their scholarship.
Maintain a 3.0 average
Register and maintain a minimum of 12 credits per semester (pre-approval needed)
Be contributing towards tuition either through loans or your work.
Giving back/volunteering
Request Funding
Approved Applicants Request Form
Once your application is approved, you can apply for funding by semester. It’s the scholarship recipient’s responsibility to submit a request early before school tuition and boarding is needed.
Scholarships are for two or four years only, so students need to manage course load appropriately and not take more time than necessary. If you take the minimum required credits that doesn't mean we will fund extra semester(s).
Requests will take two weeks to process and funds will only be distributed at the beginning of each semester. We will not grant requests via email. You must apply.
If you are requesting funds, proof of a 3.0 GPA is needed. A screenshot of current grades will suffice. Please be detailed in your request.