Shia Youth Development Project (SYDP) is a novel concept and was first introduced in Bilal Muslim Mission-Moshi branch in December 2004. The idea is to raise the Socio Economic status of the African Shia family through educating the youth and giving them vocational technical skills, side by side with the standard religious training.

14 students were taken in the first batch as a pilot project. 5 opted for motorvehicle mechanics, 7 refrigeration-airconditioning technology, one domestic electric installations and one proceeded with A- levels having obtained good O-level grades. He plans to go to university, Inshallah, for media and communication studies. One lady student was co-opted into the batch half way through to do fashion design and tailoring course. The students are studying in one of the best vocational training school in the country and expect to complete their Level I training by December 2005 Inshallah. They will then continue with Level II studies in 2006 after which suitable placements will be looked for them to start their careers, Inshallah. This will be the phase 2 of the project. A second in-take for January 2006 is being contemplated and the groundwork to recruit new students has begun. A smaller number of students will be taken this time depending on availability of accommodation and funds. Students will be selected from areas not represented in the first intake, and the courses offered will be different too. The courses are Electronics, Industrial woodwork, Electrical welding, Plumbing and pipefitting and Electrical installations. This second intake will bring the total number to about 20 students. The religious education training will continue as previously planned by Sh. Hassan Mwalupa, a renowned African Shia Scholar who is the director of the religious studies. The resident teacher is working under his patronage and supervision. The cost of educating one student is about USD 1000 per year- for 2 years. This includes fees and all the college requirements, boarding and lodging, pocket money, the Sheikhs Hadiya and other miscellaneous expenses. We sincerely hope that with just about USD2000 a Shia youth's life and subsequently his family's will be upgraded. We hope to inculcate the spirit of giving and sharing to the students such that they carry forward this project to their respective communities.

We are also in the process of acquiring property which will provide student accommodation, sheikh / guardian's flat, prayer room, library, media room and classroom. This is going to cost approximately USD 20,000.