TASIMUKA

The Tasimuka Youth Entrepreneurship (Tasimuka) activity is an inclusive and youth-led economic empowerment initiative under the Local Works Zimbabwe Youth Program. The activity is alive to the reality that youth economic empowerment is impacted by multi-dimensional and intersectional challenges and attempts to address these through integrated interventions organized along three pillars (1) The environment–influencing the policy, business, political, and economic environment for business, (2) The entrepreneur – facilitating entrepreneurial skills, accompaniment, expertise and access to resources, and (3) The coordination –of diverse stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem towards a shared understanding of challenges, opportunities and solutions. The Tasimuka Activity feeds into USAID Zimbabwe’s youth Employment and Economic Empowerment (EEE) portfolio under the Economic Growth Office. This includes the Local Works Zimbabwe Youth Program (LWZYP) and the Empowering Young Persons with Disabilities through Economic Inclusion (EMPOWER) activity. The project’s youth employment and entrepreneurship activities aim to facilitate a platform for young men and women to explore options for developing a cohesive support ecosystem that can assist, prepare, empower, and provide economic and social opportunities for Zimbabwean youth. The thrust of the Tasimuka Youth Entrepreneurship Activity is anchor on the Zimbabwe National Development Strategy, fiscal policies and the world United Nations SDGs.


Specifically, it contributes toward the achievement of the following goal and objectives:

Activity Goal 
•    Tasimuka aims to contribute to improved resilience and sustainability of a youth entrepreneurship development ecosystem that recognizes, nurtures, supports, and grows high-impact scalable youth-owned enterprises in various sectors of the economy in Chitungwiza, Goromonzi and Mutasa Districts.

Objectives
•    Improving youth's access to productive resources (such as finance, markets, information and technology, and networks of support) to participate in key sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, retail, and science and technology.
•    Improving youth agency, leadership, and advocacy for legislative reforms that result in socio-economic inclusion, especially for persons with disabilities.
•    Improving youth civic participation, leadership, and influence in designing, implementing, and monitoring socio-economic interventions and rights.