How Young People Are Changing a City

Text: Rebecca Vermot, Photos: Yusuf Msafiri

When the wind blows through Singida — and it often does — the city in central Tanzania is shrouded in a cloud of dust. Drought and heat take their toll. But neither the residents nor the city government are standing idly by. People like Victor Mbura, Khadija Swahele and Tobias Arbogast want to change their city.

Tobias tracks down vacant lots. “Young people often have nothing to do. I want them to run community gardens,” says the 32-year-old.

Khadija sometimes even picks up a shovel and broom herself to clean up a dirty market. “In the past, trash would pile up for months; today, the city clears it away once a week,” the 26-year-old says proudly. 

And Victor is fighting to ensure that children and teens in his neighborhood have a place to play. When the 33-year-old speaks, he gives his full attention to the person he’s talking to, as if there were no one more important in the world.  

“I want to be the voice of those who are not heard.”
Victor Mbura, activist from Singida

As young people, Victor, Khadija and Tobias are challenging social norms and want to change their city. In theory, Singida’s development plan calls for officials to take the community’s concerns into account and act on them. But in practice, this doesn’t always work. Helvetas therefore supports government agencies and decision-makers in establishing the necessary structures. The goal: a livable, inclusive, and climate-resilient city. 

In this Helvetas project, various interventions fit together like pieces of a mosaic to form a whole: urban planning, waste management, clean energy, strong public services and citizen participation. And activities focus on women, people with disabilities and young people, in particular, having a greater say — because their concerns are still often overlooked today.

The Elders Call the Shots

“Here in Tanzania, the elders often view young people as useless. They don’t listen to them — they even ignore them,” explains Amaniel Qawoga. Tall, engaging and eloquent, the 31-year-old quickly and directly addresses the generational conflict that also shapes his society. The start of his term as head of the Misuna district in the city of Singida was marked by precisely this arrogance, since he, too, is still considered young. Despite the entrenched opposition, he still advocates for the concerns of young people.  

For example, the soccer field that Victor is working to secure. “I grew up here in the Misuna district and played here as a child,” Victor explains. Back then, neither the house that now juts into the field nor the road that cuts across the soccer field existed. And when the church on the opposite side kept expanding its courtyard further and further into the field, the field was suddenly only half its original size.  

Soon, the church forbade the young people from playing on the field and confiscated the balls that flew over the fence. The church officials moved the fence further and further into the field, pushing the playing children out. “They just took the land,” Victor says indignantly. 

Land conflicts are widespread in Tanzania. Solid urban planning is therefore crucial, especially in cities like Singida, which are growing rapidly and substantially. Victor and his friends reached out to the neighborhood leaders. “At first, it was intimidating. The adults saw me as a troublemaker. They wouldn’t accept that I was questioning the system.” 

Victor was even threatened in his own home, where he lives with his family. Parents who sent their children to his daycare were told that he was a bad influence on the little ones. Victor and his wife had to temporarily close the daycare.

Knowledge Changes

As part of the project, Helvetas offers training sessions for young people to learn about their rights and discover how they can get involved in politics. Victor also took part. “We realized that we have to be responsible citizens in order to be credible and accepted,” he says. “At the same time, we learned that it’s also up to us to speak up.” He and his friends wrote a letter to district leader Amaniel Qawoga.  

Amaniel approached the church representatives. He, too, had to hear that he was still young and didn’t know what he was talking about. But Amaniel persisted. The Helvetas team eventually organized a festival on the sports field featuring music and sports, during which — seemingly in passing — the local population, and especially the young people, were informed about their rights to have a say. The mayor of Singida also joined the celebration and made it clear to the church that it had to respect its official property line and move the fence back.

Victor was later elected to a social responsibility committee. It serves as a bridge between the community and political leaders. Every district should have one; in Singida, Helvetas has activated such committees in 18 districts. The community can raise concerns there — such as the desire for a new road, a health center, additional classrooms,or a better water supply. The committee then works with those in charge to determine what is feasible and how it can be financed and implemented. "It feels good to stand up for something that is important to the community," says Victor.  

Now the Young People Are Having Their Say

Khadija is also a member of one of these committees and quickly threw herself heart and soul into the work in her district. There were many issues there: a need for a new restroom for the school, a new fence — and, above all, a solution for the trash-strewn, foul-smelling market. Khadija called on political leaders to address the unsanitary conditions and dispose of the trash regularly. The committee organized its first cleanup campaign, with Helvetas’ help.

Khadija is now vice president of the Youth Forum, which serves as a bridge between the city and the young population. One hundred young people are actively involved in the forum. This young, self-assured woman, who runs a restaurant with her mother, wants to take on even more responsibility — especially to improve education. “Children need to learn early on to recognize opportunities so they can seize them,” she says.  

Where Dust Becomes a Garden

Sometimes the young people in Sigida receive support from unexpected sources. Juma Nkumbi observed how their efforts repeatedly met with resistance. “I saw that she had ideas, a vision for our community. I wanted to help her make them a reality.” To do that, he was convinced, he needed to hold political office. The 52-year-old ran for neighborhood chief — and was elected. “Now I can get the community garden we want off the ground.”

Today, he and Tobias are surveying the designated plot of land. This is already the fifth garden Tobias has helped establish. For his first one, he received support from another Helvetas project. There, he learned about climate-adapted gardening and how savings groups work. Convinced and motivated, Tobias founded his own savings group. The members save money together and grant each other loans according to clear rules. They can also invest together in small businesses. This first garden now provides an income for five people.

Tobias enjoys sharing his knowledge. “I want to be a mentor to young people — to guide them and show them the way.”

Working Together for Clean Streets

There are still regular opportunities for young and old to come together in Singida. For example, on the last Saturday of every month, when a group gathers at 7 a.m. at the gas station at the big intersection. Loud music blares from a pickup truck and an MC encourages passersby to join in. Then the street cleanup begins.

Although trash is collected once a week in Singida, it’s only picked up if it’s placed in bags on the street. But a lot of it ends up on the street. After about four hours, a 1.5-kilometer stretch is cleaned up; around 300 people pitch in — young and old alike. The mayor leads by example. She urges residents to keep their properties clean, collect trash in bags, and to put them out for pickup.

The street cleanup campaigns are an initiative of Helvetas. Neighborhoods now organize them on their own. “Helvetas shows us how important mobilization is,” says the mayor. “Keeping our city clean should become a habit for all of us.”  

Every cleanup campaign ends with the planting of trees. They break the wind, provide shade and improve the urban climate. More than 10,000 trees have already been planted in Singida — not counting those planted by residents on their own initiative. 

Through the Lens of Inclusion and Climate Action

Helvetas’ ideas have fallen on fertile ground in Singida, says Imma Kapinga, the project manager. “Access to information changes the rules of the game: People now know where they can get which services and which ones they are entitled to.” At the same time, the authorities have learned, with Helvetas’ help, to be more responsive to citizens’ concerns.

What’s more, the city’s leadership, government agencies and administration now approach urban planning through an “inclusion and climate lens” to address the long-term consequences of climate change and make their city representative of all groups — and thus a better place to live. Such a project isn’t simply about good governance, says Imma, but about creating spaces for freedom. It’s about locally driven, self-determined development. As a result, Singida is becoming not only more participatory and greener, but also more equitable.  

A few months ago, Victor and his wife Maria reopened their daycare center. Although it’s still difficult for them to cover their fixed costs, they remain optimistic. “My fight for the playground was for them,” he says, glancing at a group of children playing soccer in front of the daycare center.