Youth Against AIDS and Poverty Association (YAAPA) is a registered non profit, non political, non partisan and non religious organization with main respect to human rights established on 15^th May, 2005 by the General Meeting of Founder Members from both Kigoma urban and rural areas. YAAPA is dedicated to building partnership with other groups and organizations for achieving its objectives. Its individual members, some belong to political, cultural and religious institutions but they are not allowed to preach or use YAAPA for any political, cultural or religious gains. The main purpose of YAAPA is to offer the opportunity and equal chance to communities to protect the rights of all and change their life from poor to better, and from marginalized to glorious, from oppressed to victorious

Our organization has achieved many things so far including;

• Implemented capacity building and training to organization’s members and staff on leadership skills, administration, financial management and project monitoring and evaluation.
• Participated and coordinated mass community events to campaign the fight against HIV and AIDS in Kigoma-Ujiji Municipal.
• Supported smaller youth stakeholders’ groups and helped them develop independence.
• Created and implemented advocacy and lobbying outreaches about youth and children’ involvement rights.
• Improved HIV/AIDS counseling and testing information to youth and children through outreach campaigns and life skills trainings in primary and secondary school in Kigoma-Ujiji municipal and Uvinza rural district.
• Established and managed of one Nursery School and Supplementary Education Center for OVCs at Kilima-Hewa Street, in Mwanga South Ward, Kigoma-Ujiji Municipal for OVCs living and coming from poor and disadvantaged families. The project is funded by YAAPA and community members as parents or fosters only.
• Established and managed one Small “Carpentry and Joinery On-site Workshop Vocational at Katubuka ward for jobless and homeless youths. The project funded part by YAAPA members and part by the Kigoma-Ujiji Municipal Council.
• Provided school and educational materials to OVCs. Project supported by YAAPA members in partnership with PBL – Suisse (Partners for Better Life).
• Conducted workshop trainings to 30 youth leaders and 30 local governmental authorities on “good governance and human rights policies” in 3 villages of Sigunga ward, in Kigoma rural district.
• Conducted training and awareness to 300 youth community members on National youth development policy in 12 villages in Kigoma rural district.
• Conducted On-site Workshop Training on Building and Masonry for production and selling of Ventilation and Ornamental Bricklaying to 5 groups of 5 youths each.
• Conducted training workshop on trees nursery and trees planting methods and practices, and reforestation of degraded areas in Kigoma-Ujiji Municipal,
• Established and managed YAAPA Tailoring and Sewing Workshop Training for disabled and vulnerable young girls and early mothers at Kibirizi ward, in peripheral areas of Kigoma-Ujiji Municipal.
• Supported 58 Grandparents’ Careers and Fosters of about 120 OVCs in Buhigwe District with counseling, food and non-food items to themselves and their grandchildren.
• Since 2016, conducted yearly Training Workshop to youth and children on the Impact and role played by Grandparents (especially Grandmothers), and on Why to prevent and end the murder and stigma to elders beings by superstition. Remember that young people of today are the elders of tomorrow.
• On 2017 and through support from the DSG (Tanzania Diplomatic Spouse Group), YAAPA has supporting 26 young girls and early mother with Sewing machines and related equipment. Currently, these beneficiaries as graduates have successfully coming to setting up their own tailoring community enterprises or workshops.

From 2018 up to now, YAAPA is running and implementing “The Astute Project aimed to advocate, address and reducing the Stunting of Children less than 1000 years in Buhigwe District, Kigoma region. The project is supporting by IMA World Health in collaboration with PANITA (Partnership for Nutrition in Tanzania).