Entrepreneurship, beekeeping, and health training to decrease community violence in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: a pilot...

Area of Science:

• Socioeconomic interventions
• Entrepreneurship development
• Violence prevention

Background:

• High unemployment and limited economic opportunities correlate with increased violence, particularly among young, uneducated men in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
• Formal employment is scarce for this demographic, necessitating alternative economic empowerment strategies.
• Entrepreneurship training is supported by international and governmental bodies, yet research on its effectiveness is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of delivering entrepreneurship training to unemployed young men in Dar es Salaam.
• To evaluate the impact of entrepreneurship and beekeeping interventions on income and experience of violence.
• To lay the groundwork for future intervention trials on entrepreneurship and microfinance.

Main Methods:

• A pretest-posttest pilot study was conducted in Dar es Salaam with young men from vijiweni (neighborhood camps).
• Four intervention groups were implemented: Health/Control, Entrepreneurship + Health, Beekeeping + Health, and Entrepreneurship + Beekeeping + Health.
• Data on demographics, assets, violence experience, and income were collected at baseline and follow-up points (3 months, 6 months, 1 year).

Main Results:

• The Entrepreneurship intervention group showed a 146% increase in weekly income, nearing minimum wage.
• Beekeeping and combined interventions also led to significant income increases (43% and 50%, respectively).
• The Health/Control group experienced a 37% decrease in income, reflecting broader economic challenges; insufficient start-up capital was a key constraint.

Conclusions:

• Short-term entrepreneurship training is feasible and potentially effective for unemployed, less-educated urban Tanzanian men.
• The study supports the hypothesis that entrepreneurship interventions can enhance income.
• Further research through an intervention trial is recommended to confirm the impact on income and violence reduction.