Economic Empowerment

This case study examines the challenges that Save the Children and Fondation Zakoura Micro-Crédit (Zakoura) faced in implementing a USAID-funded financial services program for youth. It examines the institutional, local market, and programmatic difficulties encountered.

From 2006–2009, Save the Children and Zakoura partnered to implement a youth financial services and livelihoods promotion project called Linking Youth with Knowledge and Opportunities in Microfinance (LYKOM). The program included financial and business literacy training, savings promotion, and access to credit for youth businesses. LYKOM faced many program level challenges in areas such as human resources, institutional frustrations, partnership, communication, and the enabling environment. Lessons learned about youth financial services include:

• Entrepreneurship training is important for many, but not all youth;
• Young people need support in developing realistic goals and growth plans;
• Family engagement is critical;
• MFIs may need to adjust staffing structures to effectively provide youth services;
• Young people need more than an MFI can provide.

This issue brief prepared jointly by the FAO and IFAD looks at challenges and success of youth participation in cooperatives.

This paper reviews the situation of rural youth in developing countries and presents options for improving their livelihoods in the face of the many growing challenges they face. The main geographical focus is sub-Saharan Africa and the Near East and North Africa.

This case study details a large part of SPARK’s work in the Western Balkans during the years 2006-2010. SPARK is a young, enthusiastic development organisation focusing on building the capacity of partner organisations in fragile states so they can develop entrepreneurship amongst youth. This should lead to new enterprises and growth of existing enterprises. In five countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro) SPARK has set up Business Start-up Centres (BSCs) with the aid of local civil society stakeholders such as municipalities, universities, chambers of commerce, business associations and other relevant parties. More than 10,000 youth followed business skills training, ranging from administrative courses to business plan writing, leading to improvaed participant business skills. Read the case study to discover the key lessons learned. 

This paper discusses the youth-workforce development programs of Fundación Paraguaya and Partners of the Americas, and explores their experiences implementing income generating activities to help ensure market orientation and improve the ability of trainees to find employment.