Around 39 million people live in Tanzania, one of the world's poorest countries. Around half of the population is assumed to live below the poverty line. 65 per cent of Tanzanians is under 25 years old and nearly half is under the age of 15. This large youth majority has no access to effective sexual and reproductive health education, no access to contraceptives or other basic health services, which results in them making uninformed decisions about their sexuality.

Social stigma of being unmarried and pregnant

The HIV-prevalence rate in Tanzania is 7 per cent and rising, and nearly 60 per cent of 15-25 year olds account for new infected cases of HIV. The stigma that accompanies HIV and the infected individuals also makes prevention methods very difficult. Apart from this, there are also serious health risks, which accompany unintended pregnancies especially amongst young women. In Tanzania one in 20 women dies from pregnancy related causes, and in 2004 more than ten per cent of young women aged 15-19 had given birth. Unmarried pregnant girls are often treated with prejudice and thus separate schools have been established for them. Furthermore, an unmarried woman who falls pregnant in Zanzibar can face up to three years imprisonment and the father of that child can face up to five years. However, there is little or no access to sexual and reproductive health education and many health professionals have even claimed to have limited contraceptive distribution because of the age or marital status of the patient.

The Tanzanian Government is implementing initiatives to improve sexual and reproductive health education and the distribution of contraceptives, therefore reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Through a mass media campaign and community-based activities, abstinence and faithfulness are promoted as the best protection from HIV, and the development of youth clubs also serves to improve awareness and education on sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies.

Key statistics

Source: The State of World Population 2006 (UNFPA); 2006 World Population Data Sheet (Population Reference Bureau).

The small mining village of Mererani, in the Simanjiro region of Northern Tanzania, is notorious for highly illicit sexual activity, rape and a high prevalence rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Young men between 14 and 25 years of age work in the highly dangerous mines, and they receive nothing for their work except a daily warm meal. Some of the miners have left their families and sometimes stay in the vicinity of the mine for a year, in the hope that they will uncover a large, expensive gemstone and be able to live off the profit; some miners will sleep for days in the depths of the mines in order to increase their chances of finding such a gem. There is no sexual or reproductive health information for these young people, and as they spend such large amounts of time separated from their partners they seek unprotected sex with village women close to the mines. This leads to the spread of STIs, including HIV/AIDS, and unwanted pregnancies.

A meeting place providing voluntary counselling and testing

Starting in 2001, DSW currently operates four Youth Centres in Mererani Ward, Zaire Kati Village, with the aim of reducing STIs, including HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortion and drug abuse. The Centres serve as a permanent meeting place with adequate equipment and facilities to raise awareness amongst the young men in the mining area. Here, youth-friendly services and health care, including treatment of STIs and voluntary counselling and testing, are available at no cost and training of peer educators is facilitated. Awareness-raising on sexual and reproductive health is also carried out at the mines. Drama, sports, choirs and acrobatics are some of the activities, which address these important issues on health and prevention, and these measures also reach young people who do not yet trust or are not yet comfortable to participate in discussions with councellors or peer educators.

To increase the project's outreach, DSW envisages to establish a permanent meeting point at the mines. Moreover, peer educators will be provided with bikes to enable them to access more remote areas. The young people have also asked for a refresher course and additional education so that they can care for AIDS sufferers at home, which emphasises the motivation of the young people to initiate changes and to learn; all of which is very promising for the future of Mererani's people.

For more information on DSW's Y2Y programme in Tanzania, please contact

Christina G.Sudi

German Foundation For World Population(DSW)
Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevolkerung
Tanzania Country Office
P.O. BOX 14279. Arusha.
Tel: +255 27 2555020
Fax: +255 27 2555064
Cell: +255 754 859033/ 0655 859033
E-mail: tina.dsw-tz[at]habari.co.tz