In Arusha, unemployment is extremely high, with rural people moving to the city in search of jobs in tourism and industry. Most do not succeed, as education and skill levels are low. Unemployment accelerates poverty and increases crime. Lack of education leads to limited options in terms of employment and is often coupled with a lack of awareness in such issues as HIV/AIDs. Young people in Tanzania frequently lack the funding, opportunities and knowledge to change their lives for the better. Many children leave school either before reaching Secondary School or in the first few years due to lack of support and facilities for study as well as constraints at home.
In 2002 the Tanzanian adult literacy rate was estimated at 69.4%. The HIV/AIDs prevalence rate among adults was 8.8% in 2003 with 1.6 million people living with HIV/AIDs. The life expectancy at birth for people born between 2005 and 2010 is 54 years for women and 51 years for men (CIA World Factbook 2008). It is extremely difficult to gauge the unemployment rate, as most people work informally for cash in hand, however this informal work usually only generates between $1-10 a week.
Many organisations focus on the very young, for example through Primary Education or orphanages. We have found that there is a ‘gap’ in Arusha in the assistance given to young adults. Often these young people have left education at the end of Primary school due to the financial costs of attending Secondary School, and have had few opportunities since. Many of our students have simply had no work or further education since leaving Primary School. Others have found casual work, with a small and unstable income; others are house girls (live-in maids) with little hope of future alternative employment. Several of the young women who attend the centre have been forced to leave school because of teenage pregnancy. Their family takes care of the children, but the young mothers are outcast due to the shame they bring to their families.
All these young people have found an opportunity for education, independence, awareness and the prospect of a stable income and a bright future through the The Umoja Centre
