#Shujaaz360 shows resourcefulness of Tanzanian youth [ARCHIVE]

Half of young people aged 15-24 say they don’t have enough money to get them through the day, according to our new #Shujaaz360 research published in Dar Es Salaam today (Wednesday 22nd June). The new data also shows that young people in Tanzania spend on average three times more than they earn each month, relying on parents and other adults to make ends meet.

The research shows more than half of young Tanzanians live day-by-day and are on the look out for ways to earn money. One in four children aged under 14 say they are already earning their own money.

But the data also reveals that job opportunities, especially for girls, are few and far between. The report says girls often depend on boyfriends and husbands to support them and that 1 in 7 urban girls and 1 in 5 rural girls get pregnant during their teenage years.

The report is the most in-depth triangulation of data on 15-24 year olds available in Tanzania. It is the first comprehensive analysis of young people and their attitudes to life, love, media, employment, agriculture and money. According to the #Shujaaz360 report, financial insecurity dominates the way young people live their lives. It’s all about the money, or lack of it.

Lucky Komba, Producer at Well Told Story, said:

“If you want the attention of young Tanzanian’s then you need to speak to them in a way that makes sense to them. From our research it is clear that the attention of young people is dominated by the search for quick & easy money. If you can help them get it, with advice, tips and information, you can get their attention.”

Last month Well Told Story launched a similar report in Nairobi on Kenya’s 15–24 year olds and the response was overwhelming. It prompted so much discussion on social media that #Shujaaz360 became the top trending topic on Twitter and featured on the front page of national newspapers the following day.

Well Told Story is the company behind the Emmy award winning youth platform Shujaaz. Launched in Tanzania in March last year, the Shujaaz story engages millions of young Tanzanians via multiple media platforms:

500,000 free comics distributed each month via the Coca-Cola network & and the Mwanaspoti sports newspaper
Weekly one hour radio show broadcast on a network of FM stations including TBC & East Africa Radio
Multiple social media platforms on which hundreds of thousands fans engage in a big conversation