Aneth Gerana is the Founder and CEO of Furaha ya wanawake Wajasirimali Kwa Viziwi Tanzania (FUWAVITA), an organization based in Dodoma, Tanzania. FUWAVITA builds leadership skills among young women with disabilities across Tanzania and promotes self-reliance, gender equity and independent living.

Aneth created FUWAVITA to provide a network for Tanzanian women with disabilities to identify their professional talents, hone business skills, and become independent entrepreneurs. Her work has won accolades from the U.S. Department of State, the Tanzanian government, and many private foundations, including the Open Society Initiative and the Global Peace Foundation.

Aneth has also served as a Community Development Officer at Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Children and Elders and was previously the Secretary General of the International African Deaf Forum.

Aneth is Deaf, and has drawn on her lived experience to broaden opportunities for women with disabilities and advocate for inclusion on an international scale. She communicates in Tanzanian Sign Language, but also knows Kenyan Sign Language, which parallels ASL.

Project Idea

Aneth will create a virtual platform via social media that will enable women with disabilities to register themselves as entrepreneurs and pursue business skills development in various vocational fields. The platform will also give women with disabilities access to media resources they can use to promote their independent enterprises and engage potential investors.

The platform will let women with disabilities join mobile and online networks sustained via WhatsApp and Facebook where they can follow entrepreneurship trainings and advertise their products to a broader audience. Once they complete the trainings, they will be connected to public and private loan providers. Aneth’s initiative will build capacity for business leadership among women with disabilities and elevate their profiles within the Tanzanian marketplace.