At just 21, Rosemary has lived a life that mirrors the struggle of many young women across Tanzania—young mothers navigating a harsh world without support or access to basic financial services.
“I had never set foot in a bank even though I have been raising my five-year-old son,” she shares. “I started fending for myself after getting pregnant in form three. At that time, I had no documents to open a bank account, so I just had to keep on hustling.”
That was before she became part of an innovative partnership between the CRDB Bank Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)—a collaboration designed to empower vulnerable youth, especially young mothers, with entrepreneurship skills, financial literacy, and real economic opportunities through the Imbeju Jiwezeshe Programme.
Rosemary was one of 38 young women selected for a hands-on financial training hosted in Chamwino. None of the women, including Rosemary, had ever owned a bank account. To bridge that gap, the training included a visit to the CRDB Bank Chamwino Branch, where the participants saw real banking operations for the first time.
“19 participants opened Imbeju Accounts, and those without national IDs were assisted by the bank in collaboration with NIDA (National Identification Authority) to fill out the necessary forms. They were so happy. It was captivating to see them enter a bank for the first time in their lives,” — Lolabona Lema, Empowerment Officer, CRDB Bank Foundation
Rosemary opened her first-ever bank account that day—something she once thought impossible. “I used piggy banks for savings or through wallet. Sometimes I would give it to someone I trusted most to keep it for me. But starting today, I’ll be depositing all my savings at the bank. I’m happy to have a bank account now with the CRDB Bank—I feel like a government employee,” she said with a laugh, her face glowing with pride.
But it’s more than just opening a bank account. Through the programme, the young women also gain access to training, business support, and in some cases, a seed capital to scale up their startups. The broader aim is to provide sustainable economic empowerment that complements UNFPA’s work in adolescent reproductive health and gender-based violence prevention.
“Our partnership with UNFPA focuses on education and skills development for both in-school and out-of-school youth, including entrepreneurship and financial literacy. It’s about helping them realize their dreams,” — Tully Mwambapa, Managing Director, CRDB Bank Foundation
For Rosemary, this partnership has done more than open a bank account—it has reopened a door to dignity, self-worth, and possibility.
“When you look into challenges facing youths including lack of capital, lack of employment, and entrepreneurship education, UNFPA has a reason to partner with strategic stakeholders to empower youths in the country,”
— Mark Schreiner, UNFPA Representative, Tanzania
Thanks to this partnership, the future is no longer just something Rosemary dreams about—it’s something she’s building, one deposit at a time.
Read More: (The Citizen News paper)
https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/supplement/from-bank-halls-to-str…
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Media Inquiries:
Dr. Warren Bright
UNFPA Communications Analyst,
United Republic of Tanzania
Phone: +255 764 43 44 45
Email: bwarren@unfpa.org
