Young man shows his catch of the day. GPF Tanzania has help sponsor a fish processing project.

Peacebuilding is not limited to adults. It starts with providing our youth with the education, tools, and skills they need to learn and grow to become moral and innovative leaders through active participation in peacebuilding at a young age. This approach is clearly visible in the partnership of the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) and the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania through the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in support of Promoting Peace for Sustainable Development (Dumisha Amani kwa Maendeleo Endelevu)—a project funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

With an increasing need to build resilience among the Tanzanian people to counter the threat of violent extremism, the Dumisha Amani Project acknowledges the inherent strength and ability of youth, especially young women and girls. As a result, 11 peace dividend projects (7 poultry farms, 3 fish and sardine processing, and 1 sunflower milling) and 4 youth digital information centers have been developed by the country’s young people in multiple locations adjacent to Mozambique’s border in the Kilwa, Nachingwea, Mtwara, Tandahimba, Tunduru, and Nyasa districts.

The project has three key objectives related to the Tanzanian youth. They include empowering and engaging them as community change agents through peacebuilding activities, uniting them through income-generating activities, and providing them with information on government opportunities at the district level and from the PMO.

Members of a youth peace club in Tanzania.

Creating a strong, recognizable identity through branding various project-related items and offices has been a collective undertaking by branding and monitoring team members from the UNDP, the PMO, and GPF. Leaders and young people have also received visibility materials, diaries, t-shirts, football jerseys, and balls from the team. Through branding, the #Dumisha Amani Project’s mission and values are consistently conveyed and act as a positive reminder of the project and the value of investing in youth.

To ensure a successful implementation of the Dumisha Amani Project, ongoing monitoring of the peace dividend projects and youth digital information centers occurred in February 2024. This is a critical activity to gauge various project aspects, including the timeliness of completing physical structures, the knowledge and skills gained by youth, and the benefits, accessibility, safety, and cleanliness of the youth centers.

Youth surround a computer at a GPF Tanzania-sponsored digital information center.

The Dumisha Amani Project showcases the power of the growing partnership between GPF and the government of the United Republic of Tanzania through the PMO as implementing partners. GPF representatives meet regularly with local government heads to actively engage them and seek their feedback on the project’s progress, challenges, and project activities. Government leaders recognize the benefits of the collaborative efforts of the UNDP, PMO, and GPF to invest in the country’s young people. The project’s initiatives provide young people with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to become future moral and innovative leaders. By engaging in peacebuilding activities at a young age, they learn the intrinsic value of collaboration, hard work, dedication, and support of others.