Josephine Christopher is a senior business journalist for The Citizen and Mwananchi newspapers
Mwananchi Communications Limitted
Dar es Salaam. Two international airlines, Air France and KLM have stepped up their community engagement in Tanzania with support for Forward Motion (FOMO), a local non-profit focused on empowering marginalized women and adolescent mothers through vocational training and psychosocial services.
The airlines have donated 15 sewing machines to strengthen FOMO’s tailoring and vocational skills programme, an initiative aimed at equipping teen mothers with income-generating capabilities and improving long-term economic resilience.
The first phase of the intervention is expected to benefit more than 20 young mothers.
The equipment will expand hands-on training capacity at FOMO’s centre, enabling participants to acquire practical tailoring skills that can be converted into small-scale enterprise or formal employment.
The machines will remain institutional assets, allowing successive cohorts of beneficiaries to access the tools and training over time.
Air France–KLM Group Country Manager Mr Rajat Kumar, said the partnership reflects the group’s broader approach to corporate citizenship in markets where it operates.
“Air France and KLM are proud to partner with Forward Motion in supporting young women who are rebuilding their lives and creating new opportunities for themselves and their children,” he said.
He added, “Sustainable change is driven by access to skills, confidence and the right support systems. This initiative contributes to building that foundation.”
Beyond the equipment donation, representatives from the airline group engaged directly with beneficiaries, offering mentorship and motivational support—an element FOMO says is critical in restoring confidence among adolescent mothers who often face stigma and social exclusion.
Forward Motion’s official Ms Vivian Sirikwa described the partnership as a timely boost to the organisation’s vocational training capacity.
“This contribution will significantly strengthen our ability to equip young mothers with practical, employable skills,” she said.
She added, “Beyond the sewing machines, the encouragement and mentorship send a powerful message that these young women are supported and capable of building independent futures.”
Forward Motion works with marginalized girls and young women, particularly teen mothers, providing psychosocial counselling, sexual and reproductive health education, life-skills training and pathways to economic empowerment.
For Air France–KLM, the initiative signals a growing emphasis on targeted, community-level interventions aligned with social impact objectives. As competition intensifies in the East African aviation market, airlines are increasingly positioning corporate social responsibility programmes as part of broader stakeholder engagement strategies.
The collaboration underscores a shared objective: translating skills development into measurable economic opportunity for vulnerable groups, while embedding sustainability into local empowerment efforts.
