Educate!

20.12.2023

 

New partnership will empower youths in Uganda to become entrepreneurs through out-of-school livelihood bootcamps.

 

A three-year partnership will help Educate! scale their livelihood bootcamps to reach 2,500 out-of-school youth.

For the millions of youths unable to access education in East Africa, few alternative paths exist to support their transition into today’s labor market. As a result, many out-of-school youths remain trapped in under- og unemployment. Recognising the gap, Educate! has developed a new solution to equip these young people with the tools to build their livelihoods, which is now ready to be scaled further.

Educate! invests in rigorous evaluations and has engaged in research and development, running multiple pilots and listens to the youth themselves to learn everything they can and about the challenges they face. The bootcamps supporting young people outside the formal education system are built on a foundation of evidence, including an accelerated version of Educate!’s in-school model — an iteration proven to increase youth income, business creation, and profits 3.5 years after the programme.

The bootcamps are divided into two parts, one focusing on essential business planning lessons and the other dedicated to cultivating soft skills. Ultimately, the curriculum facilitates youths to create their unique business plans. Additionally, participants are encouraged to start saving groups to support each other and trainers provide post-bootcamp support for youth as they set up their businesses.

Educate!’s skills-based livelihood bootcamp are tailored to meet the needs of some of the hardest-to-reach youths. For example, within the bootcamp, trainers translate content into local languages, adapt lesion to accommodate lower literacy and numeracy levels, and provide services such as childcare for young mothers.

Girls face greater barriers to success in the labor market. In rural areas of East Africa, less than 1 in 20 girls graduate from secondary school. That is a lot of lost potential. These bootcamps aim to give this marginalised population of youth the skills and support to thrive in the labor market.

Lind Foundation donates DKK 4.1m to the project over three years. We are looking forward to following and measuring how post-primary education leverages newfound skills and confidence among the young entrepreneurs and how they are empowered to build businesses meeting local needs, advancing sustainability, and uplifting others.

Read more about Educate!: https://www.experienceeducate.org/

 

Facts:

  • Donation: DKK 4.1 millions
  • Commitment period: 3 years
  • Reach: 2,500 out-of-school youths in Uganda
  • Focus area: Sustainable Livelihoods
  • Supported since: 2024