Girls of Faraja 

The Faraja Young Women Development Unit provides food,  accommodation and training for the young women at the centre for the duration of their course. Thanks to the sup port of the United Children of Netherlands organisation, a new accommodation block has been built recently and as such, the young women who have babies are provided with their own private room to share with their child. The other young women are housed in shared dorms of 4 to 6 girls per room. The backgrounds of the girls at the centre range from those who have never been to primary school up to some who have been fortunate enough to complete one or two years of secondary school. At the centre the girls are divided in to cooking students and tailoring students with other subjects such as English, computers, entrepreneurship and health and sex education provided to all of the girls in order to build on their life skills and self awareness.

At the completion of the one year course, the Faraja Centre supports the women in finding employment. The cooking students are generally employed in restaurants and hotels and the tailoring students are supported to set up their own small businesses or co-operatives. Since it's conception in 2006, the centre has successfully rehabilitated 83 young women with 56 girls at the centre, currently receiving training and rehabilitation in 2011. Of the 83 women who have graduated from the centre, 18 have been placed in permanent employment in hotels and restaurants and the remainder are operating small businesses of their own. Given the unemployment rate throughout Tanzania, the placement of these young women in secure employment is a huge achievement and a credit to the work being done at the centre

At present there is housing availability for 56 young women and on a number of occasions in 2011 alone, the centre has had to turn away several young women because there is simply no space to accommodate them. The Faraja Young Women Development Unit desperately needs assistance to increase the capacity of the centre, so that it can take in these vulnerable young women. We believe that this support can come by means of volunteers, sponsors and donors. If you are able to assist in any way, please go to one of the relevant pages on our website for more information or contact us by e-mail or phone.