OUR STORY
Her Initiative was built not with another program, but with a blueprint. The blueprint began with one number. When Lydia Charles Moyo, the founder, looked back at her school cohort, only 9 out of 200 girls had progressed to high school. The system was working against them through poverty, child marriage, and early pregnancy not because they lacked ability. Lydia’s response wasn’t to wait.
At 16, she was already leading rights awareness campaigns in Dar es Salaam schools. At university, she used Panda events to connect young women with entrepreneurship networks. By 2016, those efforts had a name: Her Initiative.
What we built is not a single intervention. It is a connected system: Learn → Earn → Lead designed so that every pathway reinforces the next. Young women don’t just gain skills; they access capital.
They don’t just start businesses; they become ecosystem builders who train the next cohort. In 2021, during COVID-19, the model evolved. At a time when many paused, Her Initiative launched Panda Digital, a Swahili hybrid platform combining web and AI to continue reaching young women despite physical limitations.
What began as a response to the crisis is now a core part of the model, positioning Her Initiative as a digitally enabled organization expanding access and impact at scale.
WHY WE EXIST
Economic exclusion, patriarchal norms, and systemic injustice continue to deny young women access to skills, capital, and decision making power. Without intentional pathways to income and agency, poverty and vulnerability persist across generations.
What Set Us Apart
01
On girls and young women
02
Rights based economic empowerment for young women
03
Through youth led organizations
04
Low connectivity solutions
05
Performance tracking and accountability
Recognition Timeline
2024
2024
A prestigious recognition for outstanding contributions to African development and innovation.
2024
2024
Recognition for global impact and commitment to citizen empowerment and social change.
2023
July 2023
Her Initiative, through Panda Digital, was honoured with an award for championing justice advocacy using digital platforms at the Tanzania Digital Awards.
2022
April 27, 2022
Panda Digital was acknowledged by the +1 Global Fund under the Roddenberry Foundation, receiving a USD 12,000 prize for its substantial contribution to advancing education in Africa through digital technology.
2021
October 14, 2021
Panda Digital was recognized by the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elders, and Children for being the first Swahili-focused digital platform dedicated to girls' education in Tanzania.
OUR PARTNERS
