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Flour, Baking Stove and a Fresh Start. Mariam’s story from Matongolo Village

Tanzania
Initial vocational education and training, Labour market insertion
11.12.2025
The air fills with the sweet smell of fresh baked cakes around the school in Matongolo village. Students heading to school with coins in their small hands. Behind the sweet smell, stands Mariam, a 25-year-old mother, baker and a dreamer carrying slices of cut cakes for her customers.
Mariam, a young mother from Matongolo village in Morogoro region, receiving cash from a student after selling cut cakes within the school compound, the selling space that she secured after following all the procedures to obtain approval from school management.

Little that does not afford the life cost

Before her life changed, Mariam’s days were uncertain and long. She earned just TZS 6 000 (CHF 1.91) a week sometimes even less, from plaiting hair and doing small domestics jobs. 

"Sometimes I would only get one job a week, sometimes none at all"
, she recalls. 

It was a life below the poverty line of 3USD as per the World Bank, Poverty & Inequality Platform 2025, which is approximately TZS 7,376 per day (CHF 2.38)- where every day felt like a race to meet the most basic needs. But she carried a dream that refused to fade, a dream of baking.

A Chance to Rise

That dream found its spark through EmpowerHER through Skills (EHS) project implemented by Swisscontact in partnership with a training provider- Kinara Youth for Evolution. When asked to list her top three preferred business ideas on the application form, Mariam wrote baking in all three spaces. It was not just interest- it was passion. 

"The EHS project gave me more than just training”, she says with a smile. “It gave me direction. I gained baking skills, business management skills and even received essential tools like an oven, saucepans and baking tins. That changed everything for me"
Mariam, a young mother from Dumila with her daughter standing beside her, counts her earnings after a successful morning of selling cut cakes to students.

Turning Passion into a Business

With her baking skills, Mariam started baking and selling cakes at the nearby primary school after receiving permission from the school management. Teachers and pupils now look forward to her delicious cut cakes each morning.

She currently earns a weekly profit of about TZS 52,500 (CHF 16.69) and saves half of it through her Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) group, an initiative introduced by the project to help young mothers save their money and access loans to grow their businesses. Through VSLA, she can access loans and reinvest in her business.

Looking Ahead with Hope

Life is still busy and full of challenges, but Mariam faces it with confidence and filled with strong hopes and determination. 

"I want to expand and become a well-known cake seller in Kilosa and the nearby areas”"
 She says.

About the EmpowerHER through Skills (EHS) Project

The EmpowerHer through Skills project, implemented by Swisscontact in collaboration with communities, public and private sector actors, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), equips young mothers with soft skills and market-driven vocational training to improve their employment opportunities and income.

The project is financed by the Irene M. Staehelin (IMS) Foundation as part of the Swisscontact Development Programme, co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) under the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).

2023 - 2027
Tanzania
Initial vocational education and training, Labour market insertion
EmpowerHER through Skills
In close collaboration with the private sector and local communities, this project offers non-formal vocational skills to empower marginalized young mothers and connect them with entrepreneurial opportunities that help them access (self-) employment and generate income for themselves and their families.  
Learn more