Markets for Youth
Status
active
Period
2020-2025
In Partnership With
GOAL Uganda is an international organization that implements humanitarian and sustainable development programs that build community resilience and support socio-economic growth with an active focus on health, WASH (water, sanitation, and health), market systems development, and agricultural livelihoods. In Uganda, GOAL partners with the Mastercard Foundation to implement the Markets for Youth Program. The Program is a market systems development intervention that aims to directly enable 300,000 rural young women and men to access dignified and fulfilling work across five sub-regions in the Lango, Acholi, Karamoja, Midwestern and Western regions of Uganda. Up to 210,000 of the targeted young people are young women, 30,000 are refugees, and 15,000 are persons with disabilities. The program also aims to benefit 600,000 people indirectly.
Target Impact
Rural young women and men are enabled to access dignified and fulfilling work.
Target: 300,000 Youth in Work
Geographical Location: 20 Districts – Agago, Gulu, Kitgum, Lamwo, Abim, Karenga, Kotido, Moroto, Apac, Dokolo, Lira, Kiryandongo, Buliisa, Kikuube, Hoima, Masindi, Kasese, Kamwenge, Kyegegwa, Kabarole.
Objectives:
132,000 youth and their enterprises have access to and are using formal financial services and products.
128,000 rural youth receive skills training and have participated in learning opportunities and management in on and off farm enterprises.
165,000 rural youth and their enterprises have access to and are participating in on and off farm activities in the agricultural market system.
10,000 rural youth have collectively and collaboratively worked together to increase their purchasing and influencing power in the agricultural market system.
Impact to Date
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317,000
Young people have been reached with skills, financial services and supported to access markets (168, 000 young women)
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250,000
At least 250,000 young people transitioned to work (112,000 young women).
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21
Created partnerships with 21 private sector partners and 3 Civil Society Organization in 18 districts in Uganda. These have strengthened institutional structures to include safeguarding ensuring a safe environment for young people.
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Voices
The program has increased young people’s voice and agency, and these have influenced practices and resources allocation to rehabilitating the roads, improving community market infrastructures and regulating market prices.
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Land
At a system level, the communities have changed practices regarding land access. Young people can access plots of land leased by local government at an affordable fee ensuring that land access is no longer a limiting factor for youth to engage in the agriculture sector.
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Mindset
Mindset shift among young people regarding agriculture has been observed. Young people are increasingly venturing in agriculture as a viable business option. Young people have adopted the culture of saving up to 300 USD each per year which some have invested as start-up capital for their enterprises.
Partnership Focus
Expanding access to innovative and inclusive financial services.
Youth access to and utilization of market facing skilling and market intelligence services.
Building sustainable input and output market systems, as well as the appropriate on and off-farm skills and management expertise.
Developing new products and services to create economic and market opportunities for the young women and men and their enterprises at scale.
Increasing youth voices and bargaining power and building skills and confidence to make youth credible players in the market.