I am Peter Wilhelim Mshomba, residing in the Arusha region of Tanzania. I obtained a Bachelor of Education from St. John’s University of Tanzania-St. Marks Centre in Dar es Salaam in 2019. Presently, I am engaged in agriculture and conduct seminars for various groups. I also enjoy playing football and exercising during my free time, both in the evening and morning. Additionally, I create short clips shared on different social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
Youth Development and Transformation (YODET-16), my organization, focuses on providing education for self-awareness and entrepreneurship skills to different groups. We also make monthly deposits, using the collected money to provide loans to group members in need. Our support extends to various groups, including orphans, street children, and elders. Moreover, we actively engage in community activities such as environmental cleanliness.
Before undergoing TFT training in 2022, I harbored negative thoughts, lacked self-belief, and was afraid of failure. Public speaking was a daunting prospect, and leadership seemed unattainable. However, TFT changed everything. Previously, I had misconceptions about agriculture being for the poor, TFT broadened my perspective. I now confidently practice cash crops agriculture, growing vegetables for sale. Since my first training, I have been serving people within and outside my community, earning more than some employed individuals per month.
TFT instilled confidence in me. During the training, the facilitator made random selections and pointed at me several times, encouraging me to participate. Group activities involved presenting in front of others, contributing to my newfound confidence. Now, I comfortably stand before large groups and present without hesitation.
Before the TFT programme, I was hesitant to assume leadership positions. TFT enlightened me on the importance of serving others, enabling me to take on various leadership roles. Currently, I am the secretary of my organization, the youth secretary in my church parish, and the chairman of youth in my community (clan) – all of which occurred soon after my first TFT programme.
TFT helped me appreciate the advantages of differences within my organization. Through games played during the sessions, I discovered that our diverse perspectives contribute to creating something unique. All members of my organization underwent TFT training, fostering mutual respect and making collaboration within the organization seamless. TFT also heightened my awareness of the importance of environmental protection, leading my organization to actively engage in environmental cleanliness initiatives.
The impact of TFT on my community was evident after my first training. I returned to my community, gathered youth from within and outside, and shared my knowledge with them. The shared knowledge enhanced the group’s self-awareness. The following are some of the trainings I have provided:
Training on Environmental awareness for 24 youth – Young people realized the importance of keeping the environment clean. They have regular clean-ups and have placed dustbins all over their community where littering was the norm until this intervention.
Self-awareness training was held for different youth groups adding to 137 youth who learned about their strengths and areas of growth and more youth have asked for similar training.
An Entrepreneurship training that encouraged 31 youth to use local resources for generating income, inspired a young man to buy a motorbike and start a small transport business.
