"Now I Feel That I Can Achieve Something": Young Tanzanian Women's Experiences of Empowerment by Participating in Health Promotion Campaigns

The United Nations (UN) emphasizes that health promotion, education, and empowerment of women are all goals that will help to end poverty. In eastern rural Tanzania, young women who dropped out of school now take an active part in health promotion campaigns in schools and villages through the youth program "Innovative and Productive Youth", which is administered by the nongovernmental organization Hatua na Maendeleo (HAMA). The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how some of these young Tanzanian women experience participating in health promotion campaigns. A hermeneutic phenomenology design with focus group interviews was used. The study's participants were nine young women between the ages of 18 and 23 who had participated in the youth program for one year. In addition, the participants were given the opportunity to provide written elaboration in Kiswahili after the interviews. The findings were analyzed from an empowerment perspective and revealed the benefits that the young women had experienced, which were expressed as three themes, i.e., my involvement in the campaigns (a) made me strong and confident, (b) made me become a role model, and (c) made me think that I can achieve something. Involvement in health promotion campaigns seemed to empower the young women by increasing their confidence and providing a feeling of self-efficacy. In addition, their health literacy increased, which appeared to have a ripple effect on their families, peers, and the local community. The findings from this study provide insight into the participants' self-reported short-term effects. Moreover, with this study, it can be argued that by empowering individuals, community transformation can be seen as well.