Lyra’s Four Interconnected Pillars
At Lyra we’re committed to creating sustainable, long‑term change for girls, youth and rural communities in Tanzania. Since 2012, our community-led partnership works with remote and rural communities where children are forced to drop out or leave school without vital basic skills. Our work helps build safe learning environments for girls, introduces digital education into rural schools, supports economic resilience by vocational and business training, strengthening community‑led initiatives.
Results show that education, safety and economic opportunity are connected. When a girl has the choice to safely complete school, when an out-of-school youth starts a business, and when a community leads its own change, the multiplier effect is far-reaching.
Green Hostels & WASH
Girls in rural Tanzania often walk long distances to school, face unsafe living conditions, or miss class due to lack of private sanitation. Lyra’s solar powered hotels solve this.
Built in partnership with local communities using sustainable materials and methods, the hostels provide safe accommodation, peer learning and hygienic sanitation.
Digital Learning
In rural schools where access to digital learning is non-existent, Lyra installs solar-powered computer labs, delivers teacher training, and gives access to the national curriculum and global connectivity via the internet.
Thousands of teachers and students have gained digital literacy, helping them achieve better academic outcomes and prepare students for life beyond school.
Economic Security
Young people in rural Tanzania are often left behind when formal education ends. Through Village Savings & Loans (VSLA) and Imarika Jamii, Lyra helps communities build financial resilience.
Our VSLA groups have seen savings triple, and rural youth are using new skills to launch small businesses, support their families, and build futures they believe in.
Gender Equity & Girls’ Education
Lyra was founded to remove the barriers girls face in accessing and completing school. From safe hostels to life skills, safeguarding, and leadership training, we create environments where girls can stay in school and succeed.
Girls in Lyra-supported schools are more likely to stay enrolled, perform better, and delay early marriage, creating long-term impact for themselves and their communities.
Our Contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Lyra contributes to 15 of the 17 SDGs, with strongest impact in:
– Quality Education
– Gender Equality
– Decent Work & Economic Growth
– Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
– Reduced Inequalities