Despite the nationwide challenge to create adequate and sustainable employment opportunities to the young and more so rapidly growing population, youth unemployment in Adjumani and Arua districts in Uganda has been further aggravated by the arrival of many refugees and asylum seekers, majorly from the neighboring countries of South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Green Livelihoods Youth Project (GLY) project supported young people (both refugees and locals) in both districts through interventions targeted at increasing their employment and small business opportunities while also equipping targeted civil society organizations with capacity to support these activities and support youth agency.
The project also pursued the goals of democratic good governance and gender equality through supporting self-sustaining social structures capable of enabling the youth to claim and access their rights and integrate into the mainstream economy.
OVERALL GOAL
To contribute to improved livelihoods of young people disaggregated by gender in Arua and Adjumani districts (Uganda) through creation of green employment options and strengthening youth governance, advocacy and decision-making capacities at local and national levels.
KEY RESULTS
- Youths’ capacity in business improved (including sustainable solar, apiculture, and marketing)
- District Farmers’ Associations and youth-led business initiatives with improved access to business development services provided by government and financial service providers from private sector.
- Youth capacity to engage in youth inclusive policies at local and national levels enhanced.
- Existing and newly established district youth agencies are strengthened in sustainable business operation, financial viability, good governance and democracy related to promotion of youth leadership and employment especially young women.
Our approach to delivering this project
The project focused its efforts on enhancing economic opportunities for young women and men to earn an income and accumulate economic assets. This action was also structured with the understanding that sustainability of the services delivered by Adjumani and Arua District Farmer Associations and youth organisations would be ensured through livelihood improvement of their membership. This was undertaken by identifying the constraints preventing the realization of their economic rights and supporting them to develop and implement strategies aimed at improving their livelihoods on a sustainable basis, hence strengthening young people’s agency. This involved skills development as well as linkages to business development services including financial services.
The project supported local youth organisations capacities in order to strengthen young women and men participation in decision-making and to be able to lend their voices in addressing social and economic challenges that they face. To achieve this, focused interventions aimed at ensuring young women, and men’s interests, were increasingly and effectively represented and visible through leadership at all levels of decision-making from household to community levels. This entailed guiding households’ participation in joint decisions at household level, strengthening the capacity of farmer organisations to support young women and men’s participation in advocating for and upholding commitments on their socio-economic rights at community level such as devolved units of government including planning and budgeting processes, and equipping youth to take up leadership roles.
Human Rights-Based Approach
Vi Agroforestry actions are guided by the principle that embrace meaningful participation and involvement of local communities in the planning and decision-making processes. The project took a participatory approach to include young women and men and having their voices heard. The action was guided by Vi Agroforestry’s application of a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) in all its interventions. HRBA ensures that no one is left behind in a development process, the core of this approach is embedded on the principles of participation, links to human rights, accountability, non-discrimination, empowerment and transparency.
Agroforestry, Sustainable Land Management and Landscape Restoration
Agroforestry and sustainable agriculture practices were developed and adopted to the local ecological conditions. Apiculture and solar energy projects were promoted in this action as part of a sustainable land use practices. Vi Agroforestry enriched this project with its wealth of experience in promoting in the apiculture and solar energy installation and management. This involved supporting mechanisms of increased production, sustainable linkages with markets, partnerships with support institutions, well managed beekeeping infrastructures. The youth were supported to come up with viable enterprises in beekeeping (modern bee farming techniques, wax processing techniques, exchange visits, participation in trade fairs, innovative value-added products, market access through information and facilitation).
Value chain and financial services
The project promoted value chain development to enhance the economic empowerment of young women and men to enable them to play an imperative role in the competitive honey value chain. It used the value chain development approach to enable youth to realize higher economic growth through their engagement at different stages of honey production and marketing as well as adopting solar energy technologies. The project also promoted Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) to provide easy access to credit facilities at reasonable rates to young women and men.
CSOs capacity strengthening for bottom up accountability mechanism
Vi Agroforestry focuses on strengthening capacities of local CSOs to be able to identify their rights and engage duty bearers to hold them into account based on their rights or existing development plans. The project employed this method by undertaking organizational capacity assessment for the mapped out CSOs and then building their capacities to ensure that they were able to identify and act / facilitate promotion of youth employment and agency. Capacity strengthening entailed a mix of methods including training leadership and management, review of governance documents, etc.
The project period was 2020-2023. This project was funded by the European Union and was implemented by Vi Agroforestry through the Uganda National Farmers’ Federation.
Read this story about the Ombacaku Youth Group.
Read more about the project in this brochure
