What we do
Learn more about Plan International’s key areas of work in the Region of the Middle East, Eastern and Southern Africa.
Skills and opportunities for youth employment and empowerment
We ensure that vulnerable and excluded young people, especially young women, are resilient and are actively engaged in decent work of their choosing, be it waged or self-employed.
Africa’s youth population is increasing faster than any other part of the world with employment opportunities struggling to catch up.
In our region, one-third of young people are unemployed, another third are vulnerably employed and only 1 in 6 are in waged employment. This has resulted in a cycle of poverty, social ills, conflict and violence.
For girls and women, the situation is far worse. Female youth unemployment rates are almost double those of young men. Three in 4 female youth are not in employment, education or training with their effects being increased risk of child, early and forced marriage, sexual exploitation, trafficking and gender-based violence among others.
Disasters and conflict have caused even more severe economic shocks that affect youth and particularly girls and young women.
Making youth empowerment a reality
Young people themselves, families, communities, civil society, the private sector, governments, training providers and various global actors play a fundamental role in cultivating a landscape conducive for youth employment and entrepreneurship.
We work with all these actors to enable young people to engage in decent work. This includes encouraging and supporting them to take actions that tackle the barriers impeding young women, particularly the barriers to equal economic participation.
We are also working with countries that already have successful projects by scaling up their existing successful projects and then sharing information about these projects with other countries in the region so they can learn about successful programme models and adapt them to help inform their own work.
Skills and opportunities for youth employment or SOYEE is our third biggest priority with our spends surpassing set targets by over 170% in our last financial year, showcasing the need to invest more in this priority.
Disasters and conflict have caused even more severe economic shocks that affect youth and particularly girls and young women.
Youth economic empowerment centre
The Centre for Youth Economic Empowerment was founded in August 2023 to advance youth economic empowerment in East and Southern Africa and the Middle East.
Its primary focus is addressing the challenges of youth unemployment, limited economic opportunities, and the barriers that hinder young people’s economic empowerment.
By capitalising on the proven strategies and methodologies within the region, the centre aims to drive meaningful change and create sustainable opportunities for young people across East and Southern Africa and the Middle East.
What the centre offers
As a shared services platform, the centre brings together a network of experts to provide specialised support for programming and evidence-based influencing strategies.
Focus areas of support include:
- Research and learning
- Capacity building and training
- Partnership development and networking
- Programme design and innovation
The centre is hosted by Plan International Jordan with support from our Germany, Netherlands and Denmark offices as well as the regional and global hubs.
Skills and work, Youth empowerment, Youth economic empowerment in emergencies, youth empowerment
Find out more about our work in this area
