Innovative Finance
August 1, 2024
Context and Issue
Addressing the needs of adolescents within households benefitting from the United Republic of Tanzania's Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN) program is a priority. To this end, the "Ujana Salama" initiative, meaning 'Safe Youth' in Swahili, has been introduced. Implemented by the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF) with technical support from the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) and UNICEF Tanzania, this program aims to provide comprehensive support to adolescents through cash assistance and additional services.
Solution
The 'plus' component of the Ujana Salama program offers in-person training, mentoring, grants, and healthcare services to eligible adolescents. The impact evaluation focuses on assessing the differential effects of the integrated program, which includes both the cash plus intervention targeting adolescents, compared to the PSSN alone.
Key Insights
Employing a mixed methods approach, the evaluation comprises baseline (2017), Round 2 (2018), Round 3 (2019), and Round 4 (2021) surveys. The Round 3 survey provides valuable insights into the impact of the Ujana Salama program on participating adolescents. Analyzing outcomes at different stages of program implementation offers a comprehensive understanding of the program's effectiveness in addressing the needs of vulnerable youth. The program's notable achievement was the beneficiaries' increased entrepreneurial attitudes and self-esteem.