My name is Winnie Tsuma from Mtomondoni- Mtwapa. I am one of the participants for the Cohort one Youth Voice and Empowerment project, implemented by Tuungane CBO with support from SHOFCO.
In 2025, I was at a point where I had almost given up on myself and my future.
I had trained as a social worker and completed my studies, but completing school did not automatically translate into an opportunity. I was struggling to find a job or a place where I could gain meaningful experience and put my skills to work.
I remember feeling stuck.
Then I heard about the Youth Voice and Empowerment Project (YVEP) implemented by Tuungane CBO with support from SHOFCO.
I told myself, “I should try and apply. At least I can be engaged somewhere and gain experience.”
I applied and was fortunate to be selected as one of the participants in the program’s Fashion and Design component. At the time, I thought I was simply applying for an opportunity to learn a practical skill. I did not know that it would become the beginning of a journey that would change how I saw myself and what I believed was possible for my future.
More Than Learning Fashion and Design!
YVEP is different from many programs available to young people in my community because it does not focus only on giving participants a technical skill.
Through the program, we were equipped with Fashion and Design skills alongside life skills and mental health support delivered through sport and art. This combination created a space where we could learn, express ourselves, build confidence and talk about challenges that affect our everyday lives.
For me, that holistic approach mattered.
The Fashion and Design training gave me practical skills that I could use to build a livelihood, while the life skills and mental health sessions helped me understand myself better and become more confident in interacting with others.
Before joining Tuungane, I knew I had studied and I knew I had abilities, but I did not know how much I was capable of. The program helped me discover that there was more in me than I had been able to see.
The use of sport and art also made the learning environment different. It created opportunities to connect with other participants, express ourselves and learn in ways that went beyond the classroom.
In a community where opportunities for young people can be limited, having a program that brings together skills development, wellbeing and self-expression made YVEP particularly meaningful to me.
From Participant to Project Lead!
For six months, I trained in Fashion and Design alongside other young people. The training gave me practical skills, but the experience gave me something equally important: confidence.
I began to understand that my abilities were not limited to what I had studied at school. I could learn new things, work with others, take responsibility and contribute to my community.
Then came an opportunity I had not expected.
After completing the six-month training, Tuungane announced a vacancy within the same department where I had trained. Several people applied for the position but I was the one selected as the Assistant Project Lead after the competitive interviews.
That moment remains one of the most significant moments of my journey.
I joined Tuungane as a beneficiary, but I was given the opportunity to become part of the team. That changed the way I looked at myself. I stopped seeing myself only as someone looking for an opportunity and started seeing myself as someone who could create opportunities for others.
The transition from participant to the Assistant Project Lead was more than a change in title. It demonstrated the potential of investing in young people and creating pathways for them to move from receiving support to taking responsibility and leading others.
For me, it was also a powerful reminder that sometimes what a young person needs is not another reminder of what they lack, but an opportunity to demonstrate what they can do.
An Opportunity to Reimagine My Future!
My experience with YVEP has changed the way I think about my future.
I now have practical skills, greater confidence and experience working with others and supporting community activities. More importantly, I have learned to recognize my own potential.
There was a time when I was asking myself, ‘What next?’ Today, I am asking myself, ‘What more can I do?’ That is one of the biggest changes this programme has brought into my life.
Tuungane gave me a platform where I could use the skills from my social work training while developing new ones. It allowed me to serve my community, grow professionally and take on leadership responsibilities.
This experience has also shaped how I think about the young people around me.
I know what it feels like to have qualifications but no clear opportunity to use them. I know what it feels like to doubt yourself because your efforts do not seem to be producing results.
That is why I want to be part of creating the kind of opportunities that I once needed.
Today, when I think about Tuungane CBO, I think of opportunity, growth, empowerment and hope.
Tuungane showed me that my circumstances did not have to determine my future. It gave me an opportunity to discover my potential, develop practical skills and take on leadership responsibilities.
But perhaps the greatest impact has been the change in how I see myself.
Tuungane did not just give me a skill. It gave me a reason to believe in myself again. It reminded me that I have something to offer and that my story can also inspire someone else.
My hope is that program like YVEP can continue reaching more young people who are facing the same uncertainty I once experienced.
Young people need spaces where they can acquire skills, but they also need spaces where they can build confidence, talk about their challenges, discover their strengths and imagine a future beyond their current circumstances.
From Receiving an Opportunity to Creating Impact
My journey started with a simple application.
I was looking for somewhere to gain experience. Instead, I found a platform for learning, a community that believed in me and an opportunity to grow into leadership.
Today, I am no longer only thinking about what opportunities I can find for myself. I am thinking about how I can use what I have learned to contribute to others.
If someone had told me in 2025 that an opportunity I applied for just to gain experience would eventually lead me into leadership, I probably would not have believed them. But that is what happened. Sometimes, one opportunity is all it takes to change the direction of a person’s life.
My message to other young people is simple: do not allow your current circumstances to convince you that your future has already been decided.
Keep trying. Apply for that opportunity. Learn a new skill. Volunteer. Ask questions. Build relationships. And when someone gives you a chance, make the most of it.
I know now that losing hope does not mean the end of the story.
Sometimes, it is simply the point from which a new chapter begins.
Long live Tuungane!!