31-year-old Abel Mwakatima is fondly referred to as a “man of the people” in his community in Rungwe, Mbeya region. His qualities of integrity and charisma endear him to his community. A natural leader, Abel however, lacked the skills to drive and further his aspirations in the community. In June 2018, Abel was one of over 20 youth selected by Advancing Youth to attend a one-week leadership training. Thereafter, he was selected to become an Advancing Youth Advisory Council member at district level. Following the training, Abel was appointed by the Rungwe community to become a secretary for his ward, Kiwila. He leads a seven-person “baraza” which mediates land and marriage cases on Mondays and Thursdays each week.

Michael Mgongolwa, a resident of Ndolela village in rural Iringa, dreamed of transitioning from a subsistence farmer to a  businessman, but wasn’t aware of any entrepreneurship opportunities in his community. Fortunately, he was introduced to the Feed the Future Tanzania Advancing Youth activity and enrolled in entrepreneurship training. He was able to develop a market survey plan to help him identify business opportunities he could engage in. “With readily available electricity in the area, I realized that many construction projects were taking place. This informed my decision to establish an electrical hardware store that would provide merchandise used in construction. I have built a good network with construction builders in the area who order materials in bulk from my store” says Michael.