From pilot to policy: How GIF supports Amani Girls Organisation to shift government systems.

The challenge

Teenage pregnancy is the leading cause of death among adolescent girls in Tanzania, and young girls account for 80% of new HIV infections. Much of this is driven by Age-Disparate Transactional Sex (ADTS), where young girls form sexual relationships with older men in exchange for material support. Rooted in poverty and gender inequality, ADTS has devastating consequences, including HIV transmission, school dropouts, and forced marriage.

LINEA: An innovative approach to tackling ADTS

The Learning Initiative on Norms, Exploitation and Abuse (LINEA), developed by the Tanzanian non-profit Amani Girls Organisation (AGO), takes a comprehensive approach to addressing ADTS. Rather than focusing solely on girls, LINEA engages both girls and men through radio dramas and classroom sessions.

The program covers critical topics such as:

• Family planning and adolescent health and development
• Understanding transactional sex dynamics
• Building self-efficacy and long-term aspirations

By combining behavioural, economic, and biomedical interventions, LINEA addresses ADTS as the multifaceted challenge it is, creating measurable impacts for both girls and the broader community.

Strategic support from GIF

In 2023, the Global Innovation Fund (GIF) provided a $230,000 pilot grant to AGO. The funding enabled three key areas:

• Government engagement to position LINEA for national scale
• Capacity building on scaling methodologies in partnership with Spring Impact
• Rigorous impact evaluation in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)

Following the pilot’s success, GIF committed an additional $515,000 to support AGO in the Test & Transition phase (2025–2028), preparing LINEA for scalable delivery within public systems and with NGO partners.

Building partnerships with government

AGO’s systemic approach to government engagement has been a standout feature of its journey. What began as a relationship with a single ministry director has expanded into a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with four key ministries:

• Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups (MoCDGWSG)
• Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST)
• Ministry of Health (MoH)
• President's Office Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG)

This cross-sectoral buy-in, including senior technical leaders and Permanent Secretaries, signals strong institutional commitment and sets the stage for long-term integration of LINEA into public systems.

AGO achieved this by aligning LINEA with national priorities, mapping government systems and stakeholders, and tailoring engagement to each ministry’s role. Relationship building and collaboration, reflected in the MoU, ensures that LINEA can survive political transitions and maintain sustainable impact.

Lessons for Development Practitioners

The AGO–GIF partnership offers key insights for scaling complex social interventions:

• Dedicated resources for government engagement matter. Investment in relationship-building enables meaningful partnerships.
• Systems thinking is essential. Understanding how ministries operate allows tailored, effective engagement.
• Evidence builds credibility. Collaboration with LSHTM ensures governments have the data to support adoption.
• Timing and policy alignment increase buy-in. Interventions that align with national priorities are more likely to be embraced.
• Scale-focused partnerships ensure sustainability. Working with organizations like Spring Impact helps design programs for long-term delivery.

Find out more about AGO here.