Ujana Salama

What it is and how it works

Ujana Salama is a unique multisectoral government-implemented cash plus intervention designed to enhance the well-being of vulnerable adolescents by combining financial support with life skills training, mentorship, and improved access to adolescent-friendly sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV services. It targets youth aged 14-19 in impoverished households participating in the Republic of Tanzania’s government social protection program (PSSN), implemented by a government entity, the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF). The PSSN reaches 1 million households nationally. Ujana Salama has three core components:

• Life skills & livelihood training: A 12-week course covering entrepreneurship, financial literacy, gender norms, and SRH, including HIV prevention.
• Mentorship and grants: regular mentorship support and a one-time US$80 grant (in one or two tranches) to pursue educational, vocational, or entrepreneurial goals.
• Health services strengthening: improved access to youth-friendly SRH, HIV, and violence prevention and response services in government-run health facilities.

Ujana Salama was implemented from 2018–2019 across four districts/councils in Southern Mainland Tanzania (Mufindi, Mafinga, Rungwe, and Busokelo). The program engaged youth in weekly group sessions over 12 weeks and provided post-training mentorship and linkages to health services for 10 months. Ujana Salama empowers adolescents with skills and resources to build a secure future by integrating economic, life skills, and health support.

The UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, EDI Global, the University at Buffalo, together with UNICEF, TASAF, and the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS),  conducted a rigorous multi-year, longitudinal study employing a cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) design to measure the program’s effectiveness. The evaluation assessed immediate and longer-term impacts on adolescents’ health, economic, and social outcomes. It includes baseline (2017), midline or Round 2 (2018), and a 24-month follow-up endline or Round 3 (2019) surveys and qualitative interviews. A panel sample of 2,053 young people was engaged in the four rounds of data collection, with Round 4 occurring 18 months after intervention activities ended (2021). In addition, surveys were conducted in 100 health facilities and among leaders in 130 communities to provide broader context.

Key quantitative outcomes:

• Improved SRH/HIV service seeking: increased ability to seek appropriate SRH/HIV and violence response services among boys (Rounds 3 and 4) [5]
• Improved gender-equitable attitudes on violence, domestic chores, and daily life among males (Round 3)

Additionally:

Challenges

• Scale-up: Due to budget constraints, fully scaling up through full integration into future phases of the PSSN remains a challenge.
• Operational issues: Payment delays due to budget shortfalls during PSSN phase changes impacted program continuity.
• Cultural barriers: Resistance to discussing SRH topics in certain communities required additional sensitization efforts.
• Macrolevel context: The endline evaluation occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and after significant program payment delays. These likely attenuated the program impact, especially on mental health outcomes, at Round 4. Girls who had felt increased hope about their life trajectory as a result of the program now faced setbacks. That the program showed sustained impact on business and sexual violence-related outcomes at such a challenging time is noteworthy. 

Lessons learned: 

• Community engagement: Integrating community stakeholders early in the program design phase and research process enhances program acceptance and buy-in for research findings.
• Sustainability: Linking cash transfers with skill-building components promotes sustainable outcomes.