An educated young girl can use her voice and knowledge effectively to contribute to the economy, transforming people’s lives, her family, and community as well.

THE POWER OF EDUCATION: 

Dorcas Eliuta, a 25-year-old, is one of nine young girls who have benefited from the Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO)’s training programs offered in 2022 in the Dar es Salaam region.

Speaking on behalf of the other girls, Eliuta shared that their journey began in 2022 when she and her peers joined SIDO’s food processing training in Dar es Salaam. 

Through the training, they acquired numerous skills including food hygiene, sanitation, plant layout, food quality control, and packaging. 

Additionally, they were trained in customer care, marketing skills, the use of social media for marketing products, financial record-keeping, business registration, and more.

Through the knowledge and skills gained from SIDO, Eliuta and her peers have been able to produce a wide range of nutritional products that are very healthy for children, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and those suffering from malnutrition. 

The products are distributed to both government and private hospitals, helping them become entrepreneurs.

Their products include sardines powder, michelle juice, almond powder, soya milk, seaweed powder, and black pumpkin seeds. 

They have also established their own organization called Imalilo Nutrition and Community Health Organization (INACHO), located in Kigamboni Mnadani.

INACHO was officially established in 2023 with the mission to raise public awareness about nutrition education, how to prepare nutritious meals for children, produce nutritional products that can improve health for various diseases, educate people about healthy eating habits, and encourage healthful diet-related behavior changes.

So far, INACHO has embarked on a special program to educate students and the public about nutrition and related issues in both government and private hospitals. 

Currently, the organization, which has 15 registered nutrition educators, has educated students in eight primary and secondary schools in the Temeke district council about nutrition, food groups, and the importance of a balanced diet in early childhood.

“We have decided to produce these products to solve the greatest problems and challenges faced in hospitals. Nowadays, most women don’t understand how to prepare children’s nutrition, and many patients become dependent on medicines rather than food,” Eliuta explained. 

“We need to educate the public about nutrition because it is crucial for children to have a balanced diet to ensure they get all the nutrients and energy their bodies need to grow, work properly, maintain a healthy weight, and feel good.”

She emphasized that if children don’t get the necessary nutrients from their diet, it can affect their development, and children with unhealthy diets can also have an increased risk of some diseases later in life.

INACHO has participated in the Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) in 2023 and 2024 through a sustainable program called ‘Women in Poverty Eradication (WIPE)’ implemented by the Equal Opportunities for All Trust Fund (EOTF).

Clara Sanga, INACHO’s chairperson, said, “Under EOTF, we have managed to showcase our nutritional products to the public, which has helped the government select us to distribute these products in 10 hospitals initially and create awareness about nutrition education.”

She expressed gratitude to EOTF for supporting their participation in DITF, which allowed them to meet various businesspeople, learn from their experiences, and understand the challenges they encounter in business and how they solve them. She also thanked President Samia Suluhu Hassan for providing them with a three-wheeled vehicle (Bajaj) for transport to different areas to promote nutrition education.

“President Samia donated the Bajaj to us after being impressed by our nutritional products that improve people’s health, create employment for youth, and raise income for people involved in the food processing value chain,” she said. 

She also thanked Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, who visited their pavilion at the 47th DITF in 2023, encouraged them to register their organization, and facilitated their selection by the government to distribute their nutritional products in 10 hospitals nationwide.

"Right now, we are looking for donors to support us with transport facilities to reach different areas across the country," she added.

Meanwhile, SIDO’s Director of Marketing and Investment, Shoma Kibende, highlighted that from 2016 to 2021, 89,000 Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) received training on various issues, with 53,484 of them being young girls and women entrepreneurs. 

Additionally, 129,266 SMEs received business advisory services, including 73,405 women entrepreneurs.

Under the program, participants were trained in food processing, business management, record keeping, leather products, soap and detergent manufacturing, plant layout, machine maintenance, branding, and supply management to become competitive in the market.

“As SIDO, we are very proud of what has been achieved because the majority of young girls and women entrepreneurs in Tanzania have managed to transform their lives, create job opportunities for youth, raise income, and move from micro-enterprises to medium enterprises, something that was not the case before,” she said.

She added that they have improved the quality of their products, used high-quality packaging materials, formalized their businesses, and more women are now involved in the food processing sub-sector. 

Additionally, they have received advisory services on project management, financial record keeping, plant layout, machine maintenance and repair, productivity issues, and how to use social media for marketing their products. 

They have also enhanced their ability to participate in various trade fairs such as DITF, zonal, and regional trade fairs including Jua Kali and Sabasaba trade fairs.