Accelerated Hope and Development for Urban Adolescents in Tanzania (AHADI)

Program details

Tanzania’s National Accelerated Investment Agenda for Adolescent Health and Well-being (NAIA) boldly states that “…adolescents represent the promise and potential of Tanzania’s future development, presenting an unprecedented opportunity to address adolescent health and well-being.” In full alignment with the NAIA, World Vision Canada, in partnership with World Vision Tanzania, is implementing the Accelerated Hope and Development for Urban Adolescents in Tanzania (AHADI) project. The AHADI project works together with adolescent girls and boys to realize their adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR) in urban Tanzania. Funded by the Government of Canada, AHADI is a rights-based, innovative and gender-transformative urban ASRHR project. The seven-year project runs from 2022-2029 in Dodoma City and Dar es Salaam.

Our Partners:

• Local rights-based partners: BabaWatoto, Kiota Women’s Health and Development (KIWOHEDE) and adolescent rights organization, Tanzania Home Economics Association (TAHEA)

Year 4 results

During its fourth year, AHADI reached 232,492 direct participants. Since 2022, the project has reached 294,438 adolescents and youth, as well as more than 323,000 people indirectly through families, communities and local systems.

AHADI has refurbished 11 health facilities in Dar es Salaam and Dodoma to improve access to private, adolescent-friendly and gender-responsive health services.

Results from the 2026 midline evaluation showed strong improvements in adolescents' knowledge, confidence, and ability to exercise their rights.

Project Design

The AHADI project was founded on the results of a rapid gender and human rights assessment, and co-designed with adolescent girls and boys from Dar es Salaam and Dodoma cities. AHADI is built on a feminist foundation that is advancing gender equality by contributing to the increased realization of the ASRHR, well-being and dignity of marginalized girls (aged 10-24 years)—in all their diversity—in urban municipalities of Tanzania. The project also identifies and addresses barriers to health-related human rights for adolescent girls and boys.

This is accomplished by:

1. Enabling the agency of adolescent girls to make informed decisions on their ASRHR, prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and protection for gender equality and empowerment.Increasing equitable utilization of gender-responsive and resilient ASRHR services, including HIV, SGBV and nutrition services by adolescent girls aged 10-24 years.Increasing gender equitable access of marginalized adolescents aged 10-24 years, particularly girls, to employment programs and policy dialogues.

Gender Equality Integration Innovation: AHADI Impact Model

“AHADI is already helping us a lot. The confidence I [have now] is not something I had before the project. I was able to be a lead adolescent volunteer and speak with the adolescents in my group, because of the confidence built in me by the project. This has helped me put it into practice quickly.” – Laila, 18, AHADI Steering Committee Leader

The AHADI Impact Model (AHADIIM) is the main delivery platform of AHADI. It provides a safe space for adolescent girls and boys to become empowered with knowledge of ASRHR, and an opportunity for them to unpack harmful, restrictive constructs of masculinity and femininity. AHADIIM integrates two evidence-based models: Care Groups and IMPACT+. Care Groups create a multiplier effect through peer-to-peer education and behaviour change. IMPACT+ is an integrated life skills approach to engage adolescents in mentoring and education in a manner that holistically addresses key ASRHR issues.

AHADI-IM groups are comprised of 20-25 adolescents, led by a lead adolescent volunteer. The lead adolescent is supported and mentored by a promoter (a local partner staff member or a teacher), who is supported by a supervisor (an AHADI staff member) in each urban centre. AHADIIM integrates peer-to-peer knowledge sharing with its local rights-based partners to promote crucial ASRHR knowledge and amplify voices to stand up for their rights. After 18 months, a new adolescent cohort begins.

There is an adolescent council in each ward, and members participate in AHADI’s Adolescent Steering Committee, where adolescent voices help lead the project to meet its gender equality goals.

Gender Equality Integration Innovation: World Vision's Gender Models

Channels of Hope for Gender Channels of Hope for Gender works closely with faith leaders and builds on their influence to explore gender identities, norms and values that impact female-male relationships in communities, using faith-based texts. As new understanding is fostered, women and men are empowered to celebrate who they are, moving people toward healthier and more equitable relationships and helping eliminate gender-based violence.

MenCare MenCare helps men critically reflect on the cultural and gender norms that perpetuate the devaluation of girls and serve as obstacles to men’s participation as involved fathers. Male dialogue groups highlight their key role in supporting their partners' and families' health and rights. This includes men’s involvement in accompanying partners to health services, eliminating gender-based violence, sharing decision-making, taking on more household chores and childcare and preventing child marriage.

Citizen Voice and Action Citizen Voice and Action (CVA) brings together citizens, service providers, the local government and partners in a collaborative process to improve the quality of health services. CVA has three phases: 1) enabling citizen engagement: 2) engagement through community gathering; and 3) improving services and influencing policy. CVA scorecards help ensure that government services equitably respond to vulnerable women and girls, as well as those with intersectional vulnerabilities.

Mid-Term Evaluation

Evaluation period February 2022 – December 2025

At mid-term, the evaluation finds the project highly relevant, coherent, and largely on track.

Data collection: 23 February – 3 March 2026

What is working

• Knowledge, rights awareness and confidence. Statistically significant gains across both sexes and all age groups, most pronounced among girls aged 15–24. Gains are consistently attributed to school-based AHADIIM sessions, peer-led youth forums and community dialogues.
• Stronger adolescent-friendly health services. Measurable improvement across all gender-responsive service criteria in 51 facilities from a baseline of zero, reflecting direct project investment in provider training and service organization.
• Community actors delivering at scale. Project-deployed promoters, youth leaders, MenCare champions and community health workers deliver interventions and link communities to formal services.
• Girls' agency in decision-making. Agency in contraceptive decision-making rose from 37.0% at baseline to 83.1% among girls aged 15–19, with confidence to report sexual violence at 92.6%.

Sustainability outlook

Likely to persist

Adolescent knowledge, changing attitudes and community dialogue platforms, supported by strong community engagement and alignment with existing institutional systems. 96.1% of facilities in the catchment have functional electricity and reliable water supply, and collaboration with ward, council and regional government provides a foundation for continuity.

Requires further investment

Activities that remain dependent on project resources and coordination, including outreach, referral follow-up and livelihood support. Risks include limited local government financial capacity, turnover of trained personnel and the persistence of structural social norms.

Priorities to 2028

World Vision Tanzania

• Strengthen consistent documentation of referral completion and structured follow-up for adolescents who do not reach services.
• Deepen economic empowerment pathways through links to savings groups and credit institutions, particularly for out-of-school youth aged 20–24.
• Build on boys' strong participation to deepen their engagement as individual users of SRHR services.
• Institutionalize community dialogue and youth platforms within ward-level plans and local government structures.

Implementing partners

• Strengthen community-to-service linkages, closing gaps in referral documentation, follow-up and feedback loops.
• Standardize facilitation approaches across community engagement platforms.
• Expand Channels of Hope and MenCare engagement with caregivers, fathers and faith leaders.
• Link eligible participants aged 20–24 to the Youth Ready and BLOOM projects.

Government and local authorities

• Integrate adolescent-responsive services, dialogues and referral mechanisms into health, education and social welfare plans and budgets.
• Ensure availability of trained providers, privacy and consistent service standards across facilities.
• Link youth to government employment programs, financial services and social protection schemes.
• Promote inclusive policies and outreach for marginalized adolescents, including collaboration with disability organizations.