CDC Tanzania DREAMS Program Empowers Adolescent Girls
Summary
- DREAMS stands for Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe. The program helps prevent HIV among young women, and provides opportunities for mentorship and economic advancement.
- Nearly 47,000 adolescent girls and young women have enrolled in the Tanzania DREAMS program.
- The program is made possible through a partnership between US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ICAP at Columbia University in support of Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elders and Children.
Take Heart, a DREAMS group in Muleba DC, attending one of their regular meetings in their identified safe space. Photo by ICAP Tanzania.
DREAMS stands for Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe. It is a program that provides young women ages 15-24 years old with comprehensive evidence-based interventions and services to reduce HIV risk from sexual partners, strengthen families, and mobilize communities for change.
In Tanzania, DREAMS was first implemented in the Kagera region in 2018 and expanded to the Mwanza region in 2021. More than 46,500 adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) have enrolled in the DREAMS program across the two regions. DREAMS was launched to address the underlying factors that increase AGYW’s vulnerability to HIV. The program was possible through a partnership between US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and ICAP at Columbia University in support of Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elders and Children.
Empowering Adolescent Girls and Young Women
A DREAMS program participant uses her sewing machine, which is one of the income generating opportunities that provide financial independence for young women in Tanzania. Photo by ICAP Tanzania.
One of the major DREAMS interventions focuses on economic strengthening through educational session called WORTH+. These sessions empower participants with financial literacy training on how to build savings, create small business plans, access credit, and how to start and grow their own businesses.
Take Heart is a DREAMS WORTH+ group in Kagera that has 25 participants and provides economic strengthening and HIV prevention services. In March 2019 the group established a target of 1,000 Tanzanian shillings (Tsh), the equivalent to $1.73, per person per week to facilitate income-generating activities. Through the course of the program they have a cumulative savings of Tsh 2,320,000 (~$4,000) with the highest member’s saving at Tsh 150,000 (~$259), and the lowest member’s saving at Tsh 100,000 (~$173.50). As of May 2020, the group yielded Tsh 360,000 (~$622) in profit, making it the best in raising and generating income among all CDC and ICAP supported WORTH+ groups.
The group chairperson shared, “I just love how strong and independent we have become, we are now in a position to earn our own income. We have established some small businesses, and now we can help our families. I love the health and behavior change services that have been continuously provided to us. They make us stronger. With time, I can definitely see us going even further, so thank you, DREAMS.”
WORTH+ allows young women to support themselves and their families. These women create positive change within their communities, reduce their risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS, other related sexually transmitted infections and gender-based violence.
Achieving Her Dream – Norah’s Story
These far-reaching benefits can be seen through the success of Norah (pseudonym), a 17-year-old DREAMS participant in Mwanza. Norah aspired to continue her education.
However, her family pressured her to marry and leave home. Norah struggled to start a business and establish a solid financial foundation from which she could contribute to her new household.
Norah enrolled in the “Super Girls” DREAMS group in February 2021 and participated in the financial literacy and small business support intervention WORTH+ sessions. These sessions allowed her to make her hopes of saving, securing a loan, and building a business a reality. Norah saved Tsh 15,000 (~$26) and secured an additional loan of Tsh 45,000 (~$79) to open her business. Norah buys powdered soap at wholesale value and resells in smaller quantities. Her bi-weekly profits average Tsh 15,000 (~$26) which allows her to make loan repayments on time. Now Norah hopes to expand her business to include home cooking products, fresh fruits, and vegetables.
When asked about her DREAMS journey Norah said, “Sometimes when we fail on one aspect, we think the world is dark but [the] courage to look and interact with peers paves roads towards a bright future. DREAMS allowed me to see that.”
CDC and ICAP have helped many young women like Norah with weekly meetings on HIV prevention education, HIV testing, peer support groups, biomedical services, behavioral skills building, and economic strengthening activities. These efforts have transformed young women throughout Tanzania and similar countries to lead healthier and longer lives, dream bigger, and attain their full potential.
