from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – KENYA and the World Bank have enhanced the creation of employment opportunities for vulnerable youth and marginalised communities with an allocation of KSh120 million (US$15,5 million).
The Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, Innovation and Youth Affairs as well as the World Bank made the funds available through the Future Bora Initiative aimed at creating income-generating opportunities for orphan youth, youth affected by conflict, persons with disabilities, young single mothers, street youths and youth from vulnerable and marginalized communities.
Afya Research Africa, Hydroponics Africa, Life In Abundance-Kenya and TakaTaka Solutions, received the funding for winning the Future Bora Initiative.
Charles Sunkuli, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of ICT, State Department for Youth Affairs, said the ministry’s goal was to empower the vulnerable and under-served youths and create job opportunities for them.
“These youths have adversely been affected by unemployment as they are excluded from benefiting from formal employment, thus forcing them to depend on others for survival,” he said.
The vulnerable communities also face societal barriers such as lack of mentorship, stigmatisation and misconceptions, limited access to adaptive learning and sole childcare responsibilities.
“These lead to low household income and poor living standards. By supporting such winning organizations – that facilitate self-sustenance opportunities to these highly susceptible categories of youths – the ICT Ministry, through the Future Bora Initiative, will ensure sustainable generation of income and boosting of their living standards,” Sunkuli said.
Dr Paolo Belli, World Bank’s Program Leader – Education, Health and Social Protection in Africa, said the four organisations, with transformational solutions for creating economic empowerment opportunities for the most vulnerable Kenyan youths, were selected from a pool of over 300 applications that were received from across the country.
“All applications underwent a rigorous evaluation process by a pool of an independent judging panel,” he said.
Each of the winning organisations is set to receive a grant funding of up to KSh30 million for implementing these solutions, disbursed in tranches based on goals achieved.
The Future Bora initiative is one of the projects under the Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project funded by the World Bank through a KSh15 billion credit aimed at empowering more than 280 000 youths between the ages of 18 and 35 years.
– CAJ News