Changemaker

Recognizing the critical role of families in shaping adolescent health behaviors, the Changemaker project conducted its first workshop on the 7^th of May 2025 in a series of its co-design workshops for sustainable urban farming and school health modules at Shunu Hall, located at Wazo in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. This workshop created a platform for parents of students from Twiga and Mivumoni Secondary Schools to reflect on the health challenges their children face and propose realistic, culturally acceptable solutions to improve nutrition and well-being.

Parents provided valuable insights on how urban farming initiatives could be practically supported at school, drawing from their lived experiences and resource realities. They also shared views on how school health modules could integrate with their roles at home, fostering collaboration between educators and families to reinforce positive health practices among school-going adolescents.

The workshop emphasized collective ownership and sustainability of interventions. It highlighted the importance of equipping parents with information and tools to support healthy lifestyles while strengthening their involvement in school-based health programs. The parents’ contributions have laid a strong foundation for interventions that can thrive beyond the school setting and create a ripple effect within communities.