What We Do

Problem Statement: The Challenge We exist to Solve

Across Tanzania and much of Africa, millions of children and young people navigate the education system without acquiring the practical skills, confidence, and mindset necessary to thrive in today's rapidly changing world. While access to schooling has expanded significantly, education outcomes have not kept pace with economic and social realities.

In Tanzania, data shows that around 1M young people enter the labor market yearly, and only around 50k-70K can secure formal employment. Too many students graduate without the ability to translate learning into opportunity, innovation, or sustainable livelihoods, and with those limited capability they are expected to thrive in the ocean of self-employment as early as possible.

The result is a widening gap between education and employability. Young people leave school with certificates but often lack entrepreneurial thinking, financial literacy, problem-solving skills, and exposure to real-world applications of their knowledge. This gap fuels youth unemployment, underemployment, and dependency, even among those who have completed secondary or tertiary education.

Yet within these challenges lies immense opportunity. Tanzania is rich in young minds, natural resources, cultural wisdom, and local markets. What is missing is a structured, inclusive, and inspiring pathway that connects education to enterprise, learning to livelihoods, and ambition to action—starting early and growing with the learner.

This is the problem Great Hope Foundation exists to solve!

• How do we transform education from a pathway of waiting into a pathway of creating?
• How do we ensure that every child, regardless of background, can grow up seeing themselves not as a job seeker but as a problem solver, innovator, and contributor to their community's prosperity?
• How do we impart Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Life skills early in these young people so as to help them thrive in the marketplace?

Our Innovative Approach: How We Are Solving the Problem

Great Hope Foundation responds to this challenge by reimagining education as a tool for empowerment, entrepreneurship, and social transformation. Our approach is practical, inclusive, and future-focused—designed to meet learners where they are and equip them with skills they can use immediately and sustainably.

At the heart of our work is UWEZO PROGRAM, an integrated model that blends entrepreneurship education, innovation challenges, school-based clubs, and community engagement. Rather than teaching entrepreneurship as theory, we embed it into lived experience—students learn by doing, experimenting, failing safely, and trying again, through CHALLENGE-BASED LEARNING.

Innovation in our work is not only about technology; it is about mindset, methodology, and access. Great Hope Foundation has developed innovative platforms that empower young people with entrepreneurial and 21st-century skills at a tender age. In these platforms, young people in schools; Learn by practice. Schools are being developed to become innovation hubs, local knowledge has been well blended with digital knowledge, stronger partnerships with schools, and the platforms have been designed to encourage equity.

What makes our approach innovative is its continuum. We do not offer one-off trainings or competitions. We build a journey—from curiosity to capability, from ideas to income, and from individual growth to community impact. As students progress, they gain not only skills but also identity: they begin to see themselves as capable changemakers.

Through this model, Great Hope Foundation is helping raise a generation that does not wait for opportunity—but creates it. A signature activity that is run in these schools is UWEZO PROGRAM, which has been well blended to empower students with appropriate entrepreneurial and 21st-century skills at a tender age.

Our 10-year impact report on UWEZO PROGRAM (2016 - 2025)

highlights the following:

• Over 92% of UWEZO PROGRAM alumni report strong entrepreneurial skills and confidence—proving that when young people are trusted with opportunity, they rise to lead.
• From public schools to real-world impact: 90% of our participants come from underserved public schools, turning limited access into limitless potential.
• UWEZO PROGRAM doesn't only build entrepreneurs—it builds leaders, with 69% of alumni trusted with leadership roles as they advance in education and careers.
• Student-led community projects have generated over USD 34,000, showing that children can create real economic value when learning meets action.
• UWEZO PROGRAM proves that practical learning strengthens academics—over 95% of participating alumni excelled in national examinations while leading impact projects.

Here is what is done under each project under UWEZO PROGRAM.

UWEZO PROGRAM

UWEZO PROGRAM is a social innovation that has gamified learning through challenge-based learning to impart students with entrepreneurial & 21st Century skills.

UWEZO AWARD

UWEZO AWARD is an innovative challenge-based learning initiative developed by Great Hope Foundation to equip secondary school students with entrepreneurship and 21st-century skills. Launched in 20 schools, the project has grown to reach over 200 schools annually. UWEZO AWARD has made a significant impact, with students, teachers, and school communities praising its role in transforming students’ mindsets towards entrepreneurship. Over 90% of participants have reported gaining valuable entrepreneurial skills, practical experience, and essential 21st-century competencies such as collaboration, communication, confidence, and critical thinking. Each year, outstanding achievers are recognized and celebrated by the Great Hope Foundation, further inspiring a culture of innovation and ambition among students.

UWEZO BONANZA

UWEZO BONANZA is a dynamic platform established by Great Hope Foundation in 2021 as a sister project to the UWEZO AWARD and part of UWEZO PROGRAM. It was created to inspire students to discover and develop their passion for the arts, particularly in schools where opportunities for artistic expression are limited, and where art was not included in the formal curriculum at the time. Through activities such as drama, singing, dancing, acrobatics, and more, UWEZO BONANZA encourages creativity, self-expression, and talent development. Each year, outstanding performers are recognized and awarded by the Great Hope Foundation, motivating them to pursue their artistic dreams.

UWEZO CLUB

UWEZO CLUB is a student-led initiative established by Great Hope Foundation in 2022 as part of the UWEZO PROGRAM. These clubs were created in partner schools to strengthen the program's sustainability at the grassroots level, inspire active student participation, and provide a platform for acquiring entrepreneurial skills and mindset. Since their inception, over 150 UWEZO CLUBS have been successfully launched, empowering young people to take initiative, collaborate, and lead within their school communities.

UWEZO KINARA

UWEZO KINARA is a newly introduced initiative under the UWEZO PROGRAM by Great Hope Foundation, designed to identify and support students who are successfully balancing their education with running micro-enterprises. The project provides targeted training and mentorship to help these young entrepreneurs thrive both academically and in their business ventures. By empowering them to succeed in both areas, UWEZO KINARA aims to cultivate role models who can inspire and lead their peers.

Our Implementation Partners

Collaborating with these organizations to maximize our impact