R-Labs

Empowering vulnerable and street connected youth towards financial freedom

Tanzania's Iringa region has among the highest number of children living on the street in the entire country. Poverty, early pregnancies and domestic abuse are common contributing factors. Many of them scavenge, beg or undertake casual labour to survive without any means of developing their potential and pursuing a safer life off the streets. They are also at high risk of abuse and violence.

R-Labs has been supported by Egmont to work with 100 young people living and working on the streets, to give them the tools to reintegrate with their communities and build new lives that they can sustain themselves.

The project provides business and financial skills training, alongside mentoring in life skills and sexual and reproductive health, giving street-connected youth the tools to navigate life on the streets, make safer choices and work towards building sustainable small businesses.

To enable these young people to balance meeting immediate needs with working towards pursuing sustainable livelihoods, R-Labs have created specially designed savings groups where young people can save earnings or access their money on a daily basis.

In addition, the project is providing business coaching and membership to youth savings groups for 250 youth entrepreneurs to empower them to grow their businesses into thriving enterprises which provide them with stable incomes but also generate employment opportunities for others in their communities.