Help Tanzanian Youth Make Tech to Help Themselves

Twende's Making Waves! A Period of Dynamic Impact and Growth, From recruiting an Innovation Club cohort to hosting our Decade of Impact celebration, we engaged with students, innovators, and partners to foster a culture of creativity and problem-solving.

Here's a glimpse into our key activities and achievements:

Innovation Club

We've recruited a new Innovation Club cohort with 38 students from the School of St. Jude! They've embarked on the design process, brainstorming community challenges and designing technology-driven solutions. Their impressive project ideas include:

• Chicken tracker to monitor health and alert farmers
• Noise maker detector for classroom noise management
• Gnut sheller to improve efficiency and reduce post-harvest loss
• Floor scrubber to simplify cleaning
• Barcode reader for library efficiency
• Tank water tracker for monitoring and maintaining water levels
• Pancake maker
• Potato slicer
• Mosquito killer device

Jamii Tech Incubation

Our 8-week Jamii Tech Incubation program hosted 16 participants from across Africa, including:

• 8 local graduates in mechanical and mechatronic engineering
• 1 international designer from South Africa
• 7 community members

Together, they engaged in Creative Capacity Building and co-created five innovative solutions:

• Gest Smat (Smart Gas) to track gas usage
• Maize harvester
• Fire and flood detector
• Eco-friendly diapers
• Rice planter

The program culminated in a Jamii Tech Summit, bringing together alumni for networking, feedback sharing, and a graduation ceremony. Graduates presented their business plans and competed for up to 600 USD in funding for business registration and market research. The summit provided valuable learning opportunities, especially from successful alumni who shared their experiences in establishing and running their own businesses.

Decade of Impact Celebration

Our Decade of Impact celebration was a resounding success! It connected successful Twende alumni with those still on their journey, fostering inspiration and knowledge sharing. A panel discussion featuring experienced innovators provided valuable insights and sparked engaging conversations, encouraging participants to refine their approaches and maximize their impact.

The event featured a variety of activities, including:

• Technology exhibitions
• Panel discussions
• Keynote speeches from leaders in the innovation ecosystem
• A design challenge competition for students, with awards for the winners

This celebration effectively stimulated interest in innovation among students, mission partners, and young people, encouraging them to become active problem-solvers in their communities.

The Creative Capacity Building training workshops have successfully engaged a total of 103 participants from diverse community backgrounds, ranging in age from 13 to 38. Through rigorous qualitative and quantitative assessments, we are proud to witness the trainees' newfound ability to address local challenges through the design and creation of localized technologies. Additionally, they are actively developing innovative solutions to problems encountered within their families and communities. A prime example of the impactful tech solutions emerging from this workshop is the garlic peeler. This device not only empowers garlic seed entrepreneurs by streamlining their value-addition processes but also proves invaluable for personal use, saving time and preventing finger injuries commonly associated with manual peelin

At Twende, we remain committed to nurturing the next generation of innovators. Our Innovation Club has ignited the passion for innovation in 56 St. Jude students, while 15 Braeburn International School students flourished during our engaging hands-on Build It workshop. The enthusiasm displayed by these young minds is truly inspiring, and they eagerly anticipate further opportunities to expand their knowledge and creative skills.

The progress of our Bikepreneur project, launched in partnership with ABC Impact and Westerwelle Startup Haus Arusha, has been nothing short of remarkable. This initiative empowers young individuals with the necessary skills and resources to build sustainable bike-based businesses centered around innovation, entrepreneurship, and bike mechanics. Our recent Creative Capacity Building Workshop, held from April 2nd to 6th, yielded remarkable outcomes. Participants successfully designed and constructed four functional prototypes: a bicycle-powered vegetable slicer, water pump, and exercise machine, further fueling their entrepreneurial aspiration

Recognizing the importance of financial support for burgeoning startups, we have partnered with Venture Capital For Africa (VC4A) to train 10 mentors who will play a pivotal role in assisting these ventures in attracting capital. Although our Mentor Driven Capital (MDC) program is still in its early stages of implementation, with the train-the-trainer phase underway, it has already generated significant momentum. We are filled with anticipation as we look forward to witnessing these mentors empower startups to secure the funding necessary to thrive.

As we continue to nurture grassroots to startups through skills and knowledge , we are confident that the entrepreneurial ecosystem will flourish, leading to economic growth and social impact in the communities we serve. Twende remains dedicated to driving innovation, empowering individuals, and fostering a brighter future for all.