Girls entrepreneurship camp empowers young girls to become future business leaders

In a world where women have historically been underrepresented in the business world, the Foundation for the Educational and Environmental Advancement of Tanzanians (FEET) is taking bold steps to empower young girls to become entrepreneurs.

FEET Tanzania has launched a groundbreaking Girls Entrepreneurship Camp (GEC) aimed at equipping girls between the ages of 14 and 18 with essential skills needed for success in school, at home, and in future careers. The program has been running in different schools throughout Tanzania since August 2022, and has already made a significant impact, benefiting 30 schools so far.

According to Rania Nasser, a Tanzanian student at UC Berkeley and co-founder of FEET, the GEC was designed to prepare girls for the challenges of entrepreneurship and teach them the process of starting and running a successful enterprise. "Our goal is to empower these young girls to become agents of change in their communities, and to give them the tools they need to succeed in life," she said.

The program, which spans over a few days, includes a series of activities and workshops where participants work in teams and are mentored by experienced coaches. On the third day, students present and defend their solutions before a panel of industry experts.

"The Girls Entrepreneurship Camp is not just about teaching girls how to start a business, it's also about building their confidence and leadership skills," said one of the program coaches. "We want these girls to feel empowered and know that they can achieve anything they set their minds to."

During the first day of the program, students are given the opportunity to learn the skills, capabilities, and personalities of their potential team members through a series of team-building activities. They then learn how successful companies design products that people love, and practice product design by using design thinking to create three original concepts that solve a given challenge.

On the second day, participants learn how to give and receive feedback, take an idea from concept to market-ready design, and create a marketing strategy to spread the message of their team's new product. They also learn basic money management skills through fun games and create a pricing strategy and finance plan for their team's product.

By the end of the program, each team will have written a comprehensive business plan and worked with a designer to visualize their product. The participants will have acquired essential skills, including leadership, communication and conflict resolution, forming a business team, determining business feasibility, conducting market research, determining product price, calculating costs, business proposal development, budgeting, inventory control, marketing, and presenting their ideas.

FEET believes that every young person, regardless of their background or circumstances, has the potential to change their lives and communities. The Girls Entrepreneurship Camp is a testament to that belief, as it is empowering young girls to become entrepreneurs and to shape their own futures.

Prior to launching the GEC, FEET held an annual Girls Stem Competition supported by UN Women, which aimed to encourage girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. "We believe that every girl has the right to pursue her dreams and to have access to the same opportunities as boys," said a spokesperson for FEET.

FEET is now in the process of developing an app for the Girls Entrepreneurship Camps, which will be available on IOS and Android in Swahili and English. The app will offer users a digital platform with entrepreneurship-related games, quizzes, forums, and other interactive content to help them learn what it takes to turn an idea into reality. "We want to reach as many girls as possible and give them the tools they need to succeed," said Rania