What could have been
Fauzia, 26, was one of the lucky few who finished the program before it shut down. She is from Temeke, a working-class district of Dar es Salaam where opportunities for young people are limited. Many of her peers married early and turned to informal work to survive.
“For a while, I worked in a religious school, but that wasn’t the right fit,” she said. Her dream had been to create beautiful things with her hands, ”that people will cherish.”
“I wanted to become a tailor specializing in wedding and ceremonial dresses,” she told us.
After completing both phases of her tailoring curriculum and earning certification in late 2024, Fauzia’s talent stood out to the Arizona team, who began hiring former students to make children’s clothes to recover lost revenue after the funding cuts. In May of this year, Arizona offered her first-ever job as a tailor. She is now the lead dressmaker.
Fauzia says her heart breaks for Khadija — someone with whom she shares so much in common— and for all the others who could not finish or even start the program.
“Look at me. I am a living example of what this program can provide. Without the support I received, we wouldn’t have been able to afford this school. We would not have been able to pay for the transportation fees, or even meals,” she said. “This program gave us the chance to build our skills, and, with those skills, to build our lives.”