Lydia Charles Moyo (centre) with her team from the organisation she leads, Her Initiative. It is a youth-first and women-led NGO that offers programmes to equip young women with education, skills, and resources for entrepreneurship and employment. PHOTO | POOL

Lydia Charles Moyo vividly recalls the realities of her school days, which were far from rosy. Raised by a single mother, Lydia attended public schools, where resources were scarce, and the environment was less than conducive to academic success.

Her secondary school, Kingongo, on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam city, was especially challenging, lacking basic facilities such as libraries and laboratories. With no mathematics teacher for an entire year and a daily two-hour walk to and from school, Lydia witnessed many of her peers, especially girls, drop out due to poverty, early marriages, and teen pregnancies.

Despite these challenges, Lydia was one of the few who persevered. Out of 200 students, only nine made it to high school, and she was one of the three girls who did.

The sense of responsibility she felt for her friends who couldn't continue with education spurred her to action. Along with her friends, she started campaigns in high school to boost girls' confidence and educate them about their rights.

Today, she heads an organisation, Her Initiative, recognised as a youth-first and women-led NGO that offers programmes to equip young women with education, skills, and resources for entrepreneurship and employment. It leverages technology to advance digital inclusion and remove barriers for young women and girls.

“When I got to high school, I felt this huge guilt because I’d left my friends behind. And I knew it was not that they were not smart, but we did not have a conducive environment that supported us academically. So I spoke to a few of my friends and we started campaigns in schools to boost girls' confidence and esteem because we realised the reason we made it to high school was because we had the urgency and the confidence to navigate the day-to-day challenges to achieve our dreams. So we wanted to instil this in our peers. We also spoke to them about their rights,” she explains. 

Together with her friends, they invited role models from various fields to inspire the girls and provide guidance on succeeding in life.

By the time Lydia joined university, many of her peers were still struggling to meet their basic needs, often resorting to risky behaviours for financial gain. Determined to make an even bigger difference, she and her friends organised entrepreneurship workshops aimed at fostering financial independence among college girls.

Lydia Charles Moyo receives the King Baudouin Foundation 2023-2024 Africa Prize for Her Initiative organisation. PHOTO | POOL

A programme known as Panda, Kiswahili for “plant” – denoting the initiative’s objective of planting the seeds of financial self-reliance. The programme reached more than 1,000 young women in Dar es Salaam and Mwanza.

After working for a few years post-graduation, Lydia decided to dedicate herself full-time to the empowerment of girls and women. In 2019, she established Her Initiative, aiming to empower young women through economic independence.

“Gender-based violence, underage marriage and HIV are just a few examples of the problems that are stopping women from going to school, getting a job and breaking the cycle of poverty. My friends and I experienced these barriers when we were in high school, and so we started to look for solutions to the challenges we were coming up against. And that’s how Her Initiative started,” Lydia says.

“We support young women to build their financial resilience in six Tanzanian regions, but with the KBF Africa Prize we will be able to scale our work to help so many more women to achieve their dreams in Tanzania and beyond.”

Lydia Charles Moyo makes her speech after receiving the King Baudouin Foundation 2023-2024 Africa Prize for Her Initiative organisation. PHOTO | POOL

The KBF Africa Prize is her latest accolade given by the King Baudouin Foundation, in recognition of her work to unlock women’s economic potential, tackle the youth unemployment crisis and accelerate economic and social development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Her Initiative recently won the King Baudouin Foundation 2023-2024 Africa Prize, receiving €200,000 ($218,267) to expand its impact and support 100,000 more women across East Africa, in achieving financial resilience, promoting financial independence, digital inclusion, and a thriving ecosystem of youth-driven organisations, over the next five years.

Additionally, the funds will help bring together an ecosystem of youth organisations to facilitate knowledge sharing, resource pooling and harnessing the power of African youth.

The prize comprises the opportunity to connect with the KBF’s international network of non-profits and development professionals.

The 2023-2024 Africa Prize was presented to Her Initiative at an awards ceremony held on June 27, at the Royal Palace of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium.

The organisation was selected from a pool of more than 400 applicants.

Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, chair of the KBF Africa Prize Selection Committee 2023-2024 said: “The selection committee was highly impressed with Her Initiative’s combined approach to advancing women’s rights and financial independence. Coupled with its innovative use of modern technologies and strategic local partnerships, Her Initiative is a highly deserving recipient of this year’s KBF Africa Prize. We look forward to seeing what the team achieves in the years to come.”

The KBF Africa Prize recognises African organisations working to drive African-led solutions to the challenges facing the continent and to sustainably improve the lives of Africans. The Prize plays a transformative role in helping organisations scale up and advocate for their work on a wider stage. Several past laureates, including Dr Denis Mukwege, Elman Peace and Grameen Bank, have since been awarded and shortlisted for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since its inception, Her Initiative has grown significantly, reaching over 15,000 young women and girls across Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Iringa, Morogoro, Pwani and Dodoma regions. The organisation offers diverse programmes tailored to the needs of girls in and out of school and unemployed youth.

For schoolgirls, Her Initiative runs Mshiko Clubs, which focus on promoting the capacity of women and girls for entrepreneurship and financial literacy. These clubs engage them in savings challenges, small businesses, and rights education, boosting their confidence and interest in continuing their education.

For girls out of school, the organisation provides skills, resources to start small businesses, and education on gender-based violence (GBV). This support helps them become economically independent and less vulnerable to exploitation.

For young women entrepreneurs, Her Initiative's Panda Digital platform offers hybrid e-learning opportunities. Through a combination of website access and AI-powered SMS courses, young women acquire business skills and certifications, regardless of their internet access.

The other programme, Digimali, helps young entrepreneurs digitalise their businesses, enhancing their reach and efficiency in the digital economy. yet another project, Youth Employability Bootcamp, targets unemployed young women and men, providing skills training and job placement assistance.

“With the financial support, we plan to scale our programmes, leveraging the network and publicity from KBF to attract new partners who can invest in our initiatives. Additionally, we'll continue learning from different partners within KBF's network, including previous winners who are doing exceptional work in other countries,” Lydia says.

Her Initiative already collaborates with youth-led and women's rights organisations in the country, such as Wildaf (Women in Law and Development in Africa) and Digital Opportunity Trust.

This year has been particularly good for Her Initiative. In May, the organisation won the Global Citizen Award in New York, as well as received the Tanzania Digital Award. Additionally, it’s been recognised by the Tanzanian Ministry of Gender for its support for girls across the country and by Mkwoki, a coalition of organisations fighting against gender-based violence, for the innovation in accelerating GBV reporting within the Panda digital platform. By PAULINE KAIRU, The East African

The innovation of skill based game Candy Kash which was inspired by famous Candy Crush game has revolutionized the mobile gaming industry.

 “We stand at a pivotal moment in history, where the potential for innovation and positive change is boundless. As the problem solvers our country needs, we possess the energy, zeal, and passion to transform challenges into opportunities. Let’s channel our creativity and drive to reshape the narrative. By leveraging innovative business ideas and technology, we can create jobs, spur economic growth, and build a brighter future.” Said Gilisho.

The founder said the candy Kash will not only be a global leader in the gaming industry but also expanding across Africa and beyond.

 “The platform aims to revolutionize skill-based games by offering a unique blend of entertainment and financial rewards. The ultimate goal is to create a multi-billion-dollar company listed on global stock exchanges, setting a new benchmark in the gaming world,” said Gilisho. 

Gilisho noted that the gaming App is dedicated to give back to the community by supporting young innovators by building innovation hubs and providing resources that will bring the youths ideas to life.

Candy Kash distinguishes itself from other gaming Applications by the following unique features

Skill-Based Earnings: Inspired by the popular Candy Crush game, Candy Kash allows enthusiasts to earn real money based on their gaming skills by competing against other players. This feature transforms casual gaming into a profitable venture.

Fair Play Environment: The platform is designed to be unhackable, ensuring that all outcomes are purely skill-based and unalterable.

Real Opponent Matches: Players are matched with real human opponents, enhancing the interactive and competitive experience. 

Customized Music Experience: Enjoy a personalized music experience while playing, making the game even more engaging and enjoyable.

Since its inception, Candy Kash has achieved several significant milestones:

Financial Rewards: The platform has paid out millions of Kenyan Shillings to winners, with instant transactions ensuring seamless financial benefits.

Growing User Base: Despite limited advertising, Candy Kash has attracted tens of thousands of users, with expectations to reach millions in the next two years.By Noel Nabiswa, The Standard.

The air hung heavy with the stench of neglect as I stepped into Juba Teaching Hospital, our nation’s supposed beacon of medical care. The once-gleaming facade, a symbol of hope in a nation grappling with post-conflict recovery, now wore a cloak of grime and despair.  This, our flagship hospital, the one meant to stand as a testament to our commitment to health and well-being, was a stark reminder of a systemic failure, a failure to prioritize and nurture the very institution meant to heal.

The stark reality of Juba Teaching Hospital’s decline is a tragedy, particularly in a nation starved for quality medical care. It is not just the dilapidated state of the wards, the overflowing bins, and the perpetually choked toilets. It is the pervasive sense of neglect and the absence of a culture of care that permeates every corner of this once-promising institution. It is a chilling reflection of our disregard for the very people we are meant to serve.

The sight of patients crammed into overcrowded wards, their suffering compounded by the environment, is a heartbreaking testament to our apathy. The stench of urine and decay, constantly reminding them of the neglect that surrounds them, is a grim indictment of our collective conscience.

Then, there are the medical practitioners, some of whom seem to have lost the very essence of their calling. Apathy and disinterest replace the compassion and dedication that should be the hallmark of their profession.  The casual dismissal, the lack of empathy, and the indifference to the suffering of the patients is a symptom of a deeper malaise, a societal disregard for the sanctity of life.

The government deserves praise for the monumental effort in constructing this hospital, a vital infrastructure for our nation.  But building a structure is not enough.   It takes a consistent and unwavering commitment to its upkeep, a dedication to ensuring that it functions not just as a building but as a haven of healing. It requires an investment not just in physical structures, but in the people who work within those structures, empowering them to become agents of change, and champions of compassion and care.

We cannot allow Juba Teaching Hospital to continue its descent into disrepair.  This is not just a matter of aesthetics; it is a moral imperative.  It is a call to action, a plea for our government, the Ministry of Health, to address this crisis with urgency and commitment. 

Here are concrete steps that must be taken:

Prioritize funding and maintenance

Adequate resources must be allocated for regular maintenance and upkeep. This includes not just cleaning and repairs, but also investing in modern equipment and technology, ensuring that Juba Teaching Hospital remains a modern and efficient medical facility.

Invest in staff development and training

Regular training programs must be conducted, focusing on professionalism, patient care, and ethical conduct. This must go beyond mere technical training and focus on cultivating empathy, compassion, and a sense of professional responsibility.

Promote transparency and accountability

Mechanisms must be implemented to ensure transparency in resource allocation and accountability for the quality of care provided. This includes robust monitoring and evaluation systems, as well as clear channels for reporting concerns and grievances.

Empower patient advocacy

A culture of patient advocacy must be fostered.  This includes establishing patient support groups, providing clear communication channels between patients and hospital staff, and ensuring that patients have a voice in their healthcare experience.

Juba Teaching Hospital is not just a building; it is a symbol of our nation’s commitment to the health and well-being of its people.  Let us not allow it to crumble.  Let us make Juba Teaching Hospital a beacon of hope, a testament to our collective dedication to providing quality healthcare to all, regardless of their circumstances.

We can and must do better. Let this be a wake-up call, a catalyst for change, a renewed commitment to building a healthy and thriving nation.

Sirir Gabriel Yiei Ruot is a concerned South Sudanese currently working as the Press Secretary in the Office of the Minister of Petroleum. He can be reached via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. By SIRIR GABRIEL YIEI RUOT, Radio Tamazuj