Tap Elderly Women's Wisdom for Youth (TEWWY) mobilises elderly women to provide mentorship, support and capacity build marginalised youth, communities and other elderly people in Tanzania. The Organisation bridges the gaps in community needs through empowering elderly women as change makers.

TEWWY envisions becoming the lead in elderly empowerment through community support initiatives. TEWWY works directly with Mtoko, a social enterprise whose mission is to create connection-building experiences for people affected by stigma and youth and linking them to the elderly in these communities. It is through this strategic partnership that the team has become known for the following. Overally, TEWWY and Mtoko want to transform how mental health amongst the elderly is viewed.

Building Support for Mental Health Needs project links both elderly communities with youth by using intergenerational teams to both empower the elderly and connect youth to traditions often overlooked. The project is being implemented by Tap Elderly Women's Wisdom for Youth (TEWWY) and Mtoko. The project is inspired by the “friendship benches” model developed in Zimbabwe to meet the mental health service gaps within the country by training elderly women as lay health workers.

The TEWWY project model is tailored to meet a similar gap in Tanzania through creating a group of Elderly Women’s Wisdom Network. This group arranges for lay elderly health workers at “Urafiki Benches” to work in designated clinics and places of worship. In addition to the “Urafiki Benches” and the Elderly Women’s Wisdom Network, the project will showcase a video series inspired by elderly women’s wisdom, presenting an innovative approach to share culturally relevant material on mental health.

The five videos created by the elderly women, creates a space for traditional songs, stories and dramas to be integrated into mainstream service provision. This project presents an innovate method in sharing on culturally sensitive issues. It allows for the trainers to access content that is meaningful and relevant for people they seek to support.