Learnings
- With access to skills training and business resources, young people can create sustainable livelihoods in West Africa
- By listening to the needs of young people, meaningful income-generating activities can be created
“Before [YEWA] we did work, but we didn’t have any techniques, we didn’t take any training, we did what we knew…”
Many young women and men are unable to access the resources they need to transform their lives. This results in wasted potential, harming both the individual – whose ambitions are left unfulfilled – and society as a whole.
“With the financial support we received, our activities have progressed.”
With this in mind, the Youth Empowerment in West Africa (YEWA) programme has assisted young women and men via technical skills training and microfinancing for small businesses. With this support, young people have been turning passions into professions.
“The work was not as efficient as it is now. The YEWA programme brought us many things”
The programme shows that young people can achieve economic self-sufficiency when given access to a range of livelihood-generating resources, such as skills training, workshops (e.g. on business ownership) and microfinance loans. These measures are aimed at securing economic wellbeing through decent and meaningful work, thus improving the mental as well as material condition of young people.
The following video highlights examples from the YEWA programme in Togo:
YEWA also provides young women and men with access to information about sexual and reproductive health, ensuring they can make informed choices.
Read more about SRH here…
