Girls’ Empowerment Index Baseline Survey of UNICEF’s “Integrated Programme on Empowering Adolescent Girls Through Ending Child Marriage in Tanzania (2023-2024)”

UNICEF Tanzania is implementing an integrated adolescent girls’ programme that focuses on the empowerment of adolescent girls through ending child marriage using a multi-sectoral approach. It aims to create a model for adolescent girls’ empowerment so that they can be key actors in the development of Tanzania, which is envisioned in UNICEF Tanzania’s new country programme 2022- 2027 as well as in national priorities such as the National Accelerated Action and Investment Agenda for Adolescent Health and Well-Being” (NAIA-AHW) 2021/22– 2024/25.

The integrated multi-sectoral package of interventions will converge in the same geographical locations – selected wards in three districts in Songwe region in the southern highlands, which has high rates of child marriage and teenage pregnancy. The three districts in Songwe region include Ileje (Ikumbilo and Sange wards), Mbozi (Idiwili and Mlowo wards), and Tunduma (Mpemba and Uwanjani wards). The sectors in UNICEF Tanzania implementing the interventions include Child Protection, Education, Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) and Innovation.

The programme commenced implementation in February 2023 and will continue until August 2024. The three outputs and key interventions include:

Output 1: The enabling environment enhanced to prevent child marriage through legal and policy reform and cross-sectoral coordination at the national level.

• Technical support to the Government to amend the Law of Marriage Act in line with international human rights standards.
• Capacity building and technical support are needed to integrate the prevention of child marriage into the second National Plan of Action to End Violence against Women and Children.
• Operationalization of the national multi-sectoral agenda for adolescents (NAIA-AHW).
• Integrating school-based non-violence and gender equality interventions for children and adolescents.

Output 2: Adolescent girls and boys, families, and communities are supported to challenge harmful social norms and practices and promote gender equality.

• Strengthening gender-transformative parenting programmes to create a more equitable environment for children and adolescents to thrive.
• Community-based social norms programming tackling harmful norms and practices and promoting gender equality.

Output 3: Opportunities strengthened for adolescent girls and boys for skills development and employability and access to platforms to raise their voices for change.

• Improving access of out-of-school adolescent girls to quality Alternative Learning and Skills Training opportunities to prepare them for the world of work.
• Strengthening the voices of adolescent girls for change through different platforms.