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Improving career prospects for young people in Limpopo, South Africa
Project SummaryIn South Africa, the unemployment rate for young people aged 15-35 is 66.5%. With the large-scale project The Youth Hub, we want to offer those affected a perspective and initiate long-term change. Help us now with a donation!
Background
South Africa is commonly perceived as a 'rich' country. But this assessment is only partly true. South Africa could be a truly rich and stabilising country for the African continent. However, in order for the potential of this country to really unfold, some conditions urgently need to be improved. Youth unemployment in South Africa, especially in rural areas such as the Limpopo province, is extremely high. At the beginning of 2022, unemployment among young people aged 15-35 was a staggering 66.5%.
Limpopo is one of the poorest provinces of South Africa. Located in the north, the legacy of inequality remains post-apartheid. With rural communities difficult to reach, basic services such as adequate education, health care, and employment opportunities are still lacking. In addition, Limpopo has a high number of schools with very poor performance and higher than average dropout rates, as well as a high rate of HIV infections and teenage pregnancies, which severely hinder the economic participation of the young generation. Even those, who are occasionally employed in informal or low-income jobs struggle to make a living and mainly rely on government grants.
Under the apartheid regime, young people from disadvantaged sections of the population did not generally
receive any form of vocational training that meets the needs of the modern labour market. Up to today, the youth in Limpopo have limited access to secondary and tertiary education, as well as vocational guidance. As a result, they typically lack employable skills such as technological understanding, problem-solving, communication skills, effective job application, and other soft and life skills, making it almost impossible to compete in the strained labour market.
Read moreLimpopo is one of the poorest provinces of South Africa. Located in the north, the legacy of inequality remains post-apartheid. With rural communities difficult to reach, basic services such as adequate education, health care, and employment opportunities are still lacking. In addition, Limpopo has a high number of schools with very poor performance and higher than average dropout rates, as well as a high rate of HIV infections and teenage pregnancies, which severely hinder the economic participation of the young generation. Even those, who are occasionally employed in informal or low-income jobs struggle to make a living and mainly rely on government grants.
Under the apartheid regime, young people from disadvantaged sections of the population did not generally
receive any form of vocational training that meets the needs of the modern labour market. Up to today, the youth in Limpopo have limited access to secondary and tertiary education, as well as vocational guidance. As a result, they typically lack employable skills such as technological understanding, problem-solving, communication skills, effective job application, and other soft and life skills, making it almost impossible to compete in the strained labour market.
Idea
The project establishes a Youth Hub in GaSekororo, Maruleng Municipality, to better engage youth (with a focus on girls and young women) in skills development, vocational guidance and economic participation. Through the Youth Ready Model, unemployed and largely unskilled youth will be empowered to discover their potential, plan for the future and gain the skills and guidance to succeed in the labour market and ultimately improve their livelihoods, health and wellbeing.
In our Youth Hub, we provide young people with computers and the internet so that they can research job postings and apprenticeships and prepare their applications. A career counselor accompanies them during the application process and beyond.
We also help young female entrepreneurs make their businesses more profitable. In training sessions, for example, they learn how to improve their accounting and financial planning. In addition, they receive equipment for their small businesses, such as gardening tools, buckets and seeds for growing vegetables, or materials to build a chicken coop for raising chickens.
Read moreIn our Youth Hub, we provide young people with computers and the internet so that they can research job postings and apprenticeships and prepare their applications. A career counselor accompanies them during the application process and beyond.
We also help young female entrepreneurs make their businesses more profitable. In training sessions, for example, they learn how to improve their accounting and financial planning. In addition, they receive equipment for their small businesses, such as gardening tools, buckets and seeds for growing vegetables, or materials to build a chicken coop for raising chickens.
Implementation
With your donation you enable the commitment of institutional funding of CHF 315'000. For the commitment, a part of the total project amount, in this case CHF 27'100, has to be provided by own funds.
The project is focused on five fields of action:
1. Establishing a Youth Hub that provides mentorship, counseling, access to ICT infrastructure and job and training opportunities.
2. Strengthening partnerships and coordination between local stakeholders (e.g. government agencies, local CBOs, educational institutions and employers).
3. Training of job-seeking youth in relevant technical, soft and life skills.
4. Supporting young entrepreneurs with skills, inputs and linkages to profitable markets and funding programs
5. Providing high-school learners and out-of-school youth with information on education and training opportunities.
Read moreThe project is focused on five fields of action:
1. Establishing a Youth Hub that provides mentorship, counseling, access to ICT infrastructure and job and training opportunities.
2. Strengthening partnerships and coordination between local stakeholders (e.g. government agencies, local CBOs, educational institutions and employers).
3. Training of job-seeking youth in relevant technical, soft and life skills.
4. Supporting young entrepreneurs with skills, inputs and linkages to profitable markets and funding programs
5. Providing high-school learners and out-of-school youth with information on education and training opportunities.
Initiators
GESUNDES AFRIKA e. V. aims to improve the health of communities in Africa. Only in good health will the African population be able to really use its enormous potential. The focus areas of our work are:
Health care for rural regions, training of medical staff and prevention of diseases.
Special attention is given to women and children. Making it easier for young people to start a career not only improves their income, but also their mental and physical health. This is why it is also part of our project work, alongside water projects, vaccination campaigns or mobile clinics, for example. Our work is thus not the famous 'drop in the ocean', but represents a contribution to real efficiency and thus sustainability due to the interlocking components.
Read moreHealth care for rural regions, training of medical staff and prevention of diseases.
Special attention is given to women and children. Making it easier for young people to start a career not only improves their income, but also their mental and physical health. This is why it is also part of our project work, alongside water projects, vaccination campaigns or mobile clinics, for example. Our work is thus not the famous 'drop in the ocean', but represents a contribution to real efficiency and thus sustainability due to the interlocking components.
| Galenica AG | 10'800,00 CHF |
| Vermittelt durch Swisscom | 850,00 CHF |
| Anonymous | 140,00 CHF |
| Rahn+Bodmer Co. | 1'000,00 CHF |
| Jan Kaempf | 50,00 CHF |
| Stefan Hatt | 170,00 CHF |
Currently, there are still no project partners if you are interested, please contact us via info@there-for-you.com.
Status of the project
We will send the donation receipt (for Switzerland) in January of the following year.
Major donor
Impact analysis by there for you specialists
The Youth Hub provides youth and young people in GaSekororo with educational and counselling services, such as peer mentoring, career guidance, coaching and referral services. They also receive information and tools to build and strengthen their own skills in the project region. Specific career information improves their entry into the labour market.
Access to employment and entrepreneurship promotion, as well as market linkages for youth in GaSekororo are simplified and improved in the long term. The goal is to create sustainable perspectives and perceptibly reduce unemployment among young people.
Primary Partners
