Fikia Programme
In an effort to reach more members of the community, Umoja launched the Fikia Programme in January 2020. The aim of the programme is to provide information, skills and training to young people in Arusha, their families and the wider community.
We achieve this through the facilitation of International Youth Day events in Arusha, by creating and supporting community youth clubs and by empowering Umoja’s parents and guardians committee.
Umoja organises the largest Youth Day event in Arusha, with over 1000 youth attending. We work with interested partners, including youth and health NGOs, to create a day of celebration and learning, marking the United Nations Youth Day and observing yearly themes. Dignataries, such as city leaders, councillors and members of parliament are in attendance along with various non-governmental organisations.
To assist us reach youth who are not accessing services through Umoja or other institutions, not in school and are in the streets, we have set up Youth Clubs in various areas of Arusha. In 2020, 10 Youth Clubs have been established, reaching over 300 youth. Leadership and facilitation training was given to 20 Umoja youth, empowering them to then facilitate the youth clubs themselves with Umoja’s support. These groups are supported by Umoja to engage in talks, events, and training in self-selected areas, including business skills, rights, health and nutrition, sex and relationships and drugs and alcohol.
Through Umoja’s Parents and Guardians Committee, we provide training throughout the year in subjects identified by the committee, such as business and employability skills, sexual reproductive health, nutrition, domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, small-scale sustainable farming, literacy, basic education and IT skills.
The benefits of this programme include an increase in knowledge for the families, resulting in healthier, safer home environments for our youth. By listening, understanding and responding to the needs of the families, we are in turn enabling our youth a greater chance of success, as their families are able to provide further support, household income and management improves and there is a reduction in social issues, such as domestic violence and alcohol abuse.
With Umoja’s support, members and guests of the committee conduct training in their communities, including training of trainers (TOT) workshops. Umoja provides additional training and support to ensure sustainability of the project, including monitoring and evaluation of the impact in their community.
