Pillar spotlights

Africa – empowering young people with resources and skills to drive social change and create economic opportunities

2023 was the kick-off year for our Social Equity program: we launched initiatives in Côte d'Ivoire, South Africa, and Uganda. In 2024 we will expand to four new countries and continue to support JA Africa in building capacity. Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30. Youth unemployment continues to be a critical issue across the continent, with the average young person taking up to six years to secure their first employment. This has a devastating impact.

The Social Equity Program, a collaboration between JA Worldwide, JA Africa, and Z Zurich Foundation, addresses the challenges faced by youth who are not in education, employment, or training, while promoting social equity and sustainable development.

By focusing on entrepreneurship training, we are empowering young people to start businesses and acquire the skills needed for the workforce. In its first year, the program achieved incredible milestones, including organizing 135 bootcamps, reaching 17,000+ youth, and facilitating the creation of 456 social projects.

In 2023, the Social equity program also engaged 178 volunteers, including both Zurich and non-Zurich participants, who underwent comprehensive training to fulfil their roles as mentors and facilitators.

A significant achievement is that the program established partnerships with over 100 local entities, including governments, educational institutions, NGOs, and other stakeholders. These collaborations have been crucial in expanding the program's reach and making a tangible impact in the communities served.

^{Photo caption: CEO of the Unifest Recycling Company, formed during the JA Africa Social Equity Program, with her team at the Uganda National end of program Pitch Contest. 
Photo Credit: Junior Achievement Africa}

Odyek is from Lira, Uganda. At just 17, school fees became unaffordable for his parents. He had no choice but to leave school to support himself and his family. While looking for work, Odyek learned brickmaking. “From there I got the opportunity to attend a bootcamp by JA Africa. We were taught how to identify a problem and get good solutions,” he says.

Bootcamps, part of our Social Equity program with JA Africa and JA Worldwide, teach critical social, financial and professional skills. This helps young people find employment or become entrepreneurs.

“We decided on one innovation,” adds Odyek. “Poor disposal of plastic and land degradation was the greatest problem in our community. It was contributing to climate change as brickmakers always cut down trees to bond their bricks.”

Odyek and his team, with support from the Social Equity Program, started a company, Bed Mot. Their brilliant solution: making bricks and pavers from poorly disposed plastic in the community.

Now at 18, Odyek is an entrepreneur tackling several issues at once: providing cost-effective building materials, reusing plastic waste and reducing the felling of trees.

He is one of more than 10,000 young people who attended training programs that are helping them to build careers, improve their communities and turn innovative solutions into reality.

Find out more here.

^{Photo caption: Odyek Haron, leader of Uganda’s winning Social Equity Program team, BedMot, sharing his story of success at an event. 
Photo credit : Junior Achievement Africa}