Where hope sparks possibility and promise

For adolescents living in Tanzania’s urban areas, the path to adulthood can be challenging. Amani*, 19, a single mother living in Dar es Salaam, has faced impossible choices. Desperate to provide for herself, she was forced into risky ways to earn money—choices that would change her life forever with an unplanned pregnancy. Seeking a better future for her son, her good friend encouraged Amani to join the Accelerated Hope and Development for Urban Adolescents in Tanzania ( AHADI ) project—where “ahadi” means “promise” in Kiswahili. The project provides relevant knowledge, skills and practical opportunities for adolescents like Amani, to build a life of opportunity.

The AHADI project is centred around the AHADI Impact Model (AHADIIM). AHADIIM offers a safe space for adolescents and youth, 10-24, to gain age-appropriate knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), through regular sessions over an 18-month period. It combines two evidence-informed approaches: care groups, which drive peer-to-peer education and behaviour change, and IMPACT+, a life skills-based mentoring model that holistically addresses adolescent and youth SRHR challenges.

These peer-led sessions help adolescents challenge harmful gender norms, while building life skills that help them make informed decisions and develop their agency to advocate for their own rights and those of their peers. Each group is led by a trained Adolescent Volunteer—mentored by a teacher or youth organization staff member—and supported by AHADI staff from World Vision.

A journey to independence

Amani first joined her local AHADIIM group to learn about reproductive health and entrepreneurship. Through the Power and Agency and Family Planning sessions, she discovered that her voice and choices matter. That confidence pushed her to dream bigger. She completed vocational training in tailoring and is now living a life of dignity and independence. Working in artisan stalls, Amani supports her child and helps ease her mother’s financial burdens. What began as a step toward knowledge became a journey toward leadership.

Amani is on a promising new path, paying it forward as a Lead Adolescent Volunteer, offering peer mentoring to her AHADI peers on sexual and reproductive health topics each week.

Since the project began, 45,453 adolescents and youth —including 31,503 girls and 13,950 boys—had completed AHADIIM sessions by the end of year 3 (April 2025). Encouraged to co-lead and shape the AHADI project to ensure its sustainability, they use their knowledge and autonomy to challenge gender-based violence, advocate for better health services, and drive change in their communities.

Learn how adolescents like Amani took their AHADI participation to the next level in 2025, helping lead and inform the project's outcome monitoring process.

*Amani's name has been changed to protect her identity.

Written by Miriam Chang in collaboration with Vanessa Mathews-Hanna and Bryna Jones. Edited by Christina Cook.