TANZANIA Gender Networking Programme (TGNP) has launched a project aimed at helping girls to effectively utilise opportunities available in the transportation sector.
Dubbed ‘Pink Ride’, the project targets girls living in difficult environment who undergo training on various issues including how to ride three- wheel motorcycles.
TGNP Executive Director Lilian Liundi said in Dar es Salaam on Thursday, during the launch of the project, that the girls have been trained not only on how to ride three wheel motorcycle but also on issues related to self understanding, gender equality, human rights, participation of women in leadership and gender related challenges in transportation sector.
The launch of the project was graced by Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special groups Dr Doroth Gwajima in which ten three wheel tricycle (bajaj) were presented to ten girls so that they could use them for business to earn income.
The three wheels vehicles were obtained through the collaboration between TGNP, Maendeleo Bank PLC and Car and General Trading Ltd.
“The launch of this project is unique and aims at increasing girls’ participation in transportation sector through operating three wheelers.” said Ms Liundi.
“This project is one of the TGNP’s strategies of increasing girls and women participation in sectors which are believed to be dominated by men,” she said.
She named some of the sectors which are male dominated as transportation, infrastructure, tourism, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and blue economy, among others.
Ms Liundi further explained that TGNP, through its analysis of various budgets and economic perceptive, has learnt that a big part of the national budget and other resources from development stakeholders have been directed to the sectors.
She said the sectors provide numerous opportunities but unfortunately women and girls have not benefited effectively from them.
Ms Liundi further detailed that Public Procurement Act which was revised in 2022 directs that 30 per cent of all tenders should go to women, youth and the disabled.
She said the tenders have been providing employment opportunities but women and girls are yet to benefit effectively from them.
Ms Liundi called upon women to understand the opportunities and take advantage of them by coming up with strategies of empowering women.
She said according to statistics, only 22 per cent of women are working in the transportation sector, stressing that more efforts are needed to attract more women to the sector.
On her part, Dr Gwajima commended TGNP for coming up with such a unique project which will help the crucial segment of the country’s population.
According to the 2022 National Population and Housing Census, the number of youth aged between 15 and 35 are 34.5 per cent of the country’s population,” the minister said.
She added that majority of girls aged between 18 and 35 years face economic hardship due to lack of employment.
She said the government has continued to make various efforts through policies, programmes and strategies to ensure that youths contribute immensely to the development of the country.
Dr Gwajima said that the training conducted for 18 months for the girls has helped to empower them economically.
“You have been given huge asserts, we want to see results so that you can encourage other girls to take part in the business,” Dr Gwajima said.
Head of Programmes at TGNP, Clara Kalanga said the project has helped some girls to be trained in various areas such as driving, welding and other training on gender issues and also support them in order to enable them to own their business.
She said that TGNP also helped the girls who received the three wheelers to access soft loans from Maendeleo Bank .
“These ten girls are just part of the beneficiaries, our aim is to scale up this project to other parts of the country in order to reach more girls living in difficult environment,” she said.
She said that the project is continuous and is expected to uplift economic status of most girls living in difficult environment.
