The Swiss Embassy which is funding the Skills for Employment Tanzania (SET) implemented by Swisscontact and Opportunity for Youth Employment (OYE) implemented by SNV (Netherlands Development Organisation), worked with both in the organisation of the Skills Bonanzas. The purpose of the bonanzas is to increase awareness of VSD and improve its reputation, as well as raising the visibility of the projects in the local communities. Both SET and OYE have been supporting youth, aged 15–24, including young mothers to gain skills and knowledge in different types of VSD, especially in the agricultural sector, such as horticulture, poultry production, food processing, beekeeping, goat herding and fish farming. These skills are a key aspect of equipping youth to generate an income through self-employment.
Youth from both SET and OYE projects in each district competed with each other and demonstrated their creativity, aligning with the training they received. In each competition, one youth representative was chosen as the winner. Each district awarded five winners from the different competitions. These winners will come together to compete in a regional Skills Bonanza in Morogoro town on 2nd December, which will also bring together government leaders, stakeholders, community members, private sector representatives and other invited guests.
Blandina Shirima, one of the contestants from Malinyi district, summed up her participation as follows:
Header Picture [1]: In Tanzania, a bonanza serves as the preferred platform for bringing people together, particularly at a specific event, to effectively convey messages to targeted groups. Bonanzas involve various sports, games, and diverse activities in which people, especially youth, actively participate.