The Cambridge Development Initiative (CDI) is a non-profit organization that serves to improve the wellbeing of the citizens of Tanzania. CDI empowers student leaders in the UK and Tanzania to catalyse change in their societies through innovative projects in the following areas: Education, Health, Entrepreneurship, and WaSH [Water, Sanitation and Hygiene]. Since 2013, CDI has mobilized over 100 student volunteers to launch sustainable, community-orientated, solutions to Dar es Salaam's most significant challenges.

Education: Class sizes in Tanzania range from 50-100 students, and each year 900,000 young Tanzanians enter a market only generating 60,000 new jobs. The aim of our education projects is therefore not only to provide young Tanzanians with advanced skills to boost their employability, but also to equip with them with the mindset and entrepreneurial skills required to set up new businesses and thus create fresh labour opportunities. Our previous endeavours in this regard have involved setting up Self-Discovery workshops, Dream Sharing events, Youth Empowerment Clubs, and Networking Platforms, that have reached across 13 schools and over 1000 students in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The education of the youth is key to a better future.

Health: Tanzania has the 2nd youngest population in East Africa and, by the age of 18, 2 in 5 girls are already married, whilst the rate of contraceptive prevalence amongst 1519 year-olds has been recorded as below 30%. Subsequently, our health projects take a specific approach in improving sexual and reproductive health, whether it be through our Tell-2-Tell media campaign serving to destigmatise discussions around sexual health, educational workshops that have reached over 100 students in the area, or even our projects extending to more general health such as the construction and distribution of ventilation fans to reduce household pollution. Our ultimate aim is to make the citizens of Tanzania healthier in a sustainable way.

Entrepreneurship: Dar es Salaam has the 9th fastest growing population in the world, and as a result there is an excess demand for jobs and services that cannot be satisfied by the existing market, meaning that many Tanzanians turn to the informal sector which itself only provides 416,000 job availabilities for the 800,000 young professionals competing for them. Our entrepreneurial projects are tailored to help tackle this issue in a sustainable way by developing an innovative and entrepreneurial culture within the Tanzanian education system. We have consistently done so by collaborating with Tanzanian universities, creating an 8-week DAREnterprisers course acting to provide university students with the business and social skills required to succeed as entrepreneurs, whilst holding conferences for students of the programme to pitch their ideas to potential investors who were able to provide them with $1000-$3000 in initial funding. Our projects here help prepare the youth of Tanzania to lead their economy to prosperity.

WaSH: Sanitation in Tanzania is a large issue with 90% of the population lacking access to adequate sanitation, whilst only 50% have access to clean water. Our WaSH projects are centred around improving these figures primarily through the construction of infrastructure such as sewage systems, public bathrooms, and water chlorination facilities that will ultimately boost hygiene. Improved sanitation is one of the core foundations of development and so it must be raised.