Green Livelihoods for Women and Youth in Africa

Applying Entrepreneurship Skills to Develop an Organic Fertilizer and Waste Project

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Theresia Stephen was managing her own healthcare clinic in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, when her mother forwarded her a link to the Developing Green Livelihoods for Women and Youth in Africa programme. At first glance, the programme's focus felt completely outside her area of expertise, but something about it intrigued her. Curious and open to learning, she decided to apply. 

Though she was accepted, at the beginning of the programme, Theresia felt lost.

I had zero knowledge about the topics,

she recalled. Still, she reminded herself not to limit her potential and chose to continue. As the programme progressed, she found herself increasingly interested in environmental issues. 

She successfully completed the three programme phases of the programme, where she developed the idea for her current project. 

I had to look for a gap in my community, there was a time we had a water shortage, and I realized the potential of using organic waste to improve soil and productivity sustainably.

She is now working on building a business focused on producing organic fertilizer and animal protein using organic waste and black soldier fly larvae. 

Today, Theresia balances her healthcare clinic with her new agribusiness, though her energy is increasingly focused on the latter.

It’s something new, and when it’s new, you have to give it your 100 per cent focus. 

Yet, the learning on developing business plans and pitching gained during the programme has also proved useful to Theresia for the management of her first business. She credits the programme not only with helping her develop the idea, but providing with knowledge and skills, confidence, and mindset to pursue something beyond her original field.

If I put my time and effort into it, it can have a big and meaningful impact.

Theresia aims to lead an impactful green enterprise, one that not only promotes environmental sustainability and supports the national economy but also empowers women and youth to unlock and harness their full potential.  

As one of the selected participants who traveled to Japan for on-site training, Theresia found that one of the most valuable parts of the experience was the exposure to both local and international networking opportunities. Participants were connected with professionals in their fields of interest. 

Now, Theresia is actively seeking opportunities to grow her business. She is continuously innovating and refining her range of BSF-based organic fertilizer and sustainable animal protein products, demonstrating a hands-on commitment to quality, sustainability, market responsiveness, and positioning herself at the forefront of agribusiness solutions that support climate-smart agriculture, food security, and circular economy practices. She acknowledges that it is a costly venture that needs commitment and dedication, but believes strongly in its long-term potential. 

If it were easy, everyone would have done it, you have to be resilient and patient; these things take time to come into realization.

As part of her efforts to continue growing her venture, Theresia participated in an entrepreneurship programme funded by a bilateral donor that, besides complementing professional and entrepreneurship skills such as financial management and leadership, provided seed funding with which she could start her business proposal last January. She considers this an important factor for moving ahead with the idea she developed during the UNITAR programme. 

She also highlighted a key challenge: once the programme ends, participants often feel left on their own. 

Do not just leave the participants hanging, otherwise, all the efforts put into training us - the knowledge and the skills - will just end there.

In her view, post-programme support is essential: consistent follow-up, understanding how participants are applying what they have learned, and linking them with relevant sectors, suppliers, or investors. 

Her message is clear:

training is only the first step. To truly create sustainable change, programmes must build bridges for participants to apply their learning in the real world. Make sure you follow up on the projects and link participants with their respective sectors… it makes all the difference

Theresia concluded.