EmpowerHER Tomorrow Initiative Shortlisted for The Iris Prize 2025

We are thrilled to announce that EmpowerHER Tomorrow Initiative has been officially shortlisted for The Iris Prize 2025, standing proudly among 31 exceptional youth-led projects selected from over 1,550 applications across 111 countries.

This prestigious recognition celebrates our commitment to advancing climate resilience, land rights, and gender equity in Tanzania. Led by young changemakers and guided by our mission to build sustainable, community-driven solutions EmpowerHER Tomorrow Initiative equips young women and men with critical legal, environmental, and mapping skills to secure customary land tenure, reduce land degradation, and protect vital ecosystems such as riverbanks and forest corridors.

“We are honored to be recognized by The Iris Prize for our work to transform land justice into climate action,” said Veronica Bey, Executive Director of EmpowerHER Tomorrow. “This is not just a win for our organization, but for the young women and communities in Malinyi who are leading the way in protecting nature and shaping a more just future.”

With land insecurity and climate shocks posing growing threats in Tanzania’s Morogoro Region, our project champions a practical, scalable solution: community-led land use planning grounded in local knowledge and legal empowerment. By training over 2,100 youth and women, EmpowerHER is proving how securing land rights fuels environmental protection and long-term adaptation.

Being shortlisted for The Iris Prize brings us one step closer to scaling this impact—reaching more villages, training new community land defenders, and developing open-source toolkits to support youth-led conservation efforts across Tanzania and beyond.

As part of the Iris Prize shortlist, we are excited to connect with global changemakers and demonstrate that youth are not just the future—they are leading right now.