Raleigh Tanzania Society impacting the environment through #KeshoTutachelewa campaign

Production, consumer demand, and domestic consumption play a big part in major disasters that occur to our planet. In Tanzania the economy is based largely on agriculture, timber extraction and firewood for energy. This means that the demand on our environment is massive. As an example, up to 400,000 hectares of forest are lost each year. This, and many other examples like this, has contributed to the effects of climate change across Tanzania.

In January 2016, young Tanzanian volunteers from Raleigh Tanzania came together to take action against climate change through the Youth For Green Growth (Y4GG) Project. Through this project, Raleigh Tanzania Society (RTS) launched #50milliontrees, a deforestation campaign which reached up to two million people via various conferences, social media campaigns, partnerships with governments and relevant organisations such as Tanzania Bora, UNEP, UNESCO and many more. Despite success,  climate change still wasn’t slowing down, and neither were the Raleigh Tanzania Society.

With the aim to reach an even bigger audience and spread more knowledge and skills, RTS drew up another campaign through Y4GG2. This seeks to facilitate youth-led action and advocacy which will advance the green growth agenda and support positive environmental policy, contributing to a global movement for youth-led environmental action.

Through Y4GG2, in July 2019 the Raleigh Tanzania Society, with the support of Raleigh Tanzania and Raleigh International, set up youth-led environmental action in Tanzania through their nationwide campaign #Keshotutachelewa meaning #Tomorrowistoolate.

Designed and delivered by Tanzanian youth, #KeshoTutachelewa is turning negative environmental behaviours into positive ones, supporting decision makers to implement positive environmental policies and mobilise a generation of young Tanzanians to act for the future of their peers, their communities and their country. This campaign is seeking to increase adoption of clean energy sources between young mamas, to increase collaboration between youth, decision makers and partners for the implementation of positive environmental policy and young Tanzanian changemakers to be mobilised through a large national tree planting effort.

So far, this campaign has involved RTS members attending a two-week training from McCann World Group focused on campaigning design, branding and marketing for social media platforms. Eighteen participants from the Exchange for Campaign, Empowerment and Leadership (ExCEL) Project have also spent six months conducting needs assessments, identifying positive environmental behaviours that could be adopted by communities in Tanzania. Lastly national society members conducted research on environmental policies and how to influence young people to take part on the campaign. They are ensuring that environmental change is at the forefront of the minds of young people engaging with Raleigh Tanzania projects. This is everyone’s responsibility.

Since its launch, the #KeshoTutachelewa online campaign has marked a huge influence on young people inside and outside RTS who have been sharing campaign content and using #KeshoTutachelewa hashtag on issues related to positive environment. This campaign is conducted though @raleightanzaniasociety social accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. To spread their message even further, young alumni have attended radio, TV sessions to create jingles and speak about our cause.

“Paying visit to TV and Radio sessions has made me speak to lots of people and spreading the message because a lot of people call and send messages via the phone number we provided during the session and ask for more clarifications and how to take part to #keshotutachelewa campaign’’.

Abdallah Njayagha, Campaign Engagement Officer

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all young people who are taking part on #keshoTutachelewa and the responsible person who is designing and editing posters for their skills and using of their experience on this , it is a good platform for young people to learn especially for those who would like to run organisations / movements in the future’’.

Amiry Kaiza , Raleigh Alumni

The #KeshoTutachelewa campaigns do not end here –  it is a movement. Find out more about the campaign through the Raleigh Tanzania Society social media channels.