 | Hon. Zainab and Minister Solheim, launch the “Zanzibar Window” of the Urban Youth Fund |
UN-HABITAT in partnership with the government of Norway launched a USD 100,000 new “Zanzibar Funding Window” of the Urban Youth Fund. The Fund was launched by the Hon Zainab Omar Mohammed, Tanzania Minister of Social Welfare, Youth, Women and Children, and the Honorable Erik Solheim, Norwegian Minister of the Environment and International Development. The event was attended by over 70 youth from youth organizations in Zanzibar. Managed by UN-HABITAT in collaboration with the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, the main aim of the fund is to support urban youth projects focused on employment, skills training, entrepreneurship, and governance.
“The fund is an important mechanism that can be used to address the concerns expressed by youth such as education, jobs and healthy communities,” Stated Minister Solheim. He went on to say that the challenge today is the perception by young people that there is a short cut for development.  | Mr. Solheim, Hon. Zainab and Hon Tibaijuka launching the dream balls Initiative |
He emphasized that the only way to development is hard work and creativity. He encouraged young people to seek the opportunity in the new fund, and use their creativity to create new jobs to promote prosperity in Zanzibar and Tanzania.
The occasion was also marked by the launching of the dream balls initiative by the Minister of Lands, Urban Development and Housing, Anna Tibaijuka. Tibaijuka applauded UN-HABITAT and Hyundai for donating footballs to support youth development in Tanzania. “The initiative indeed provides an impetus for promoting development and peace in Tanzania,” she added.
The launch of the Zanzibar Window of the Urban Fund is a result of the successful implementation of the UN-HABITAT Opportunities Youth Fund. The fund, supported by the government of Norway, has granted close to 2 million USD to over 100 youth groups globally in its first year of operation. In its two first rounds the fund has sought to advance the poverty reduction targets of the Millennium Development Goals and the urban sustainability goals of the Habitat Agenda. |
Urban Youth Fund lancé à Zanzibar