Youth Economic Opportunity

Here are some of the highlights from TechnoServe’s work this past year.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, an entrepreneur's business in Nigeria was destroyed. Here's how he revived his dream and found success.

Determined to support her family, Dossi Degui turned to TechnoServe for better business skills. Now she sells her artisanal soap around the country--and can't keep up with demand.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a sudden halt to a career program for low-income college students in India. Quick thinking by the TechnoServe team took the program digital when students needed it most. The results? More than 1,000 students have found new jobs despite the ongoing crisis in India.

In Mozambique, many students graduate without the necessary soft skills to succeed in jobs or as entrepreneurs, leaving them with limited economic opportunities. TechnoServe’s WIN program worked with the Mozambican government to revise a life skills curriculum that will help young people — and women in particular — access jobs and start their own businesses.

Earlier this year, violent insurgents attacked the city of Palma in northern Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique. They killed dozens of people, forced thousands to flee, and sparked a humanitarian crisis that continues to this day. There is a perceived link between poverty — particularly among youth — and insecurity. TechnoServe is addressing this challenge by promoting economic opportunities for youth in the region.

In East Africa, formal employment opportunities are often scarce, and entrepreneurship presents a path toward economic independence for many young women and men. TechnoServe is helping small shop owners in Kenya, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire become more profitable by connecting them with the knowledge, training, and tools they need to become successful retailers.

TechnoServe helps young people in the developing world access the information, capital, and markets they need to overcome tremendous obstacles and create their own economic opportunities. Today we are sharing the story of Mary Wacera, a 30-year-old entrepreneur from central Kenya who created her own successful agribusiness after participating in a TechnoServe program.

In Tanzania, young people like Asia Abdallah often face an uphill battle when entering the job market. With few formal sector jobs available, many turn to entrepreneurship. But without the practical skills to get started, entrepreneurship can present challenges. TechnoServe is equipping youth with the skills they need to gain formal employment or run their own successful businesses.

For over 50 years, TechnoServe has helped hardworking women and men in the developing world gain the skills, connections, and confidence to create self-sustaining businesses and build a path out of poverty. In part two of this series, we ask a few of these farmers and entrepreneurs to share how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their lives and how they are coping with its effects.