What Next? Unemployment?

As I journey through the final days of my MSc, I am reminded of the challenges of young people.

The global youth unemployment rate is estimated to rise slightly, reaching 13,1 % which represents 70.9 million young unemployed people (ILO, 2017). In Latin America and the Caribbean, the youth unemployment rate is expected to continue to increase, and it is forecasted to remain stable in sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern and Southern Africa (IFAD, 2014e)

Source: World Bank Group (The 2018 Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals)

The unemployment rates in rural areas are higher than in urban areas and youth unemployment rates are typically twice those of adults (White, 2012). Young people in rural areas are less likely to have contracted employment compared to their urban counterparts (ILO, 2017). This is due to the challenges that many workers in rural areas face. These challenges include: low pay, poor-quality jobs that are unrecognized and unprotected by law, widespread underemployment, the absence of rights at work, inadequate social protection and the lack of a representative voice (ILO, 2008).

Continue reading “What Next? Unemployment?”

Cycling through the end

Ciao Friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Its been a while since I posted and its all because I was cycling  through the research project.

If you have been following the development agenda, you will have noticed that mentions of youth have been sparking everywhere. This is because young people are still facing interlocked forms of discrimination, limited political inclusion, high levels of poverty, limited access to health systems, educational opportunities and decent jobs IFAD (2007). As we know young people are the ‘now’ and the ‘future’. It is essential that organisations such as IFAD align their investments to ensure that the livelihoods of young people are sustained.

A little update on my research. I have started working on producing results for my research project, where I was reviewing IFAD project documents and identifying areas of success in engaging rural youth and areas that can be further strengthened.  From what I have reviewed thus far, IFAD has made significant efforts in engaging youth through its investments. However, there is room for improvement.

That is all for now.

Arrivederci!

 

Young and ready to move

The Annual General Assembly of  the Global Donor Platform for rural development was held in Berlin on the 13 – 14 June 2018 . The event was titled “Young and ready to move- empowering the new generation in the rural space“.

Some of the key messages that emerged from the meeting:

  • Challenges that young people in rural areas face are interlinked and require systematic thinking to solve them
  • Donors need to generate an environment for private sector integration.
  • The use of social media can be effective to communicate valuable information to the young people.
  • Farmers need be to empowered in the changing world. Donors can support this by providing basic and technical education, enhance farmers’ capacities to learn, innovate and adapt.The  video  below provides some of the key messages that came from the meeting.

The  video  provides some of the key messages that came from  stakeholders at the meeting.

This meeting is useful to reinforce engagement and participation of rural youth at all levels. It was interesting to see how the event had several panel discussions that were inclusive of youth and provided a platform for exchange of knowledge and experiences.