Egypt YiA in International Youth Day
Today as we mark International Youth day, we are presenting Khaled’s story who is 18 years old and one of the beneficiaries of Save the Children’s Youth in Action program.
Khaled lives in a village in Assuit with his grandmother and sister, following his parents’ divorce. He dropped out of school to support himself and his sister. He started working temporary jobs in construction and driving a Tuk Tuk, both jobs he had no passion for. Khaled joined YiA at this tough time, when he was fighting hard to make ends meet.
“YiA was like a thread of hope for my future” Khaled said.
After joining YiA, Khaled is now able to read, write and use simple math. His self-confidence has improved, and Khaled is now better equipped to face life’s challenges. During the YiA action phase, Khaled started to think of the type of business he wanted to establish with a YiA grant. He first opted to buy a tricycle to start a grocery delivery business, but the YiA grant was not enough. “Thanks to the business planning and budgeting skills I learnt from the program, I decided to start with an animal fattening business, which provided promising profit and allowed me to save money and fulfil my dream. Eventually I bought my tricycle and am currently in the goods delivery. I have many clients from my YiA colleagues and my community,” Khaled said proudly.
In Egypt we work extensively with youth whether Egyptians, migrants, or refugees. One of our main projects in this regard is Youth in Action (YiA).
Youth in Action was launched in 2014 in rural communities of Assuit in Upper Egypt, and Al Sharqia in the Delta region. The program has been adapted to work with two age groups (12-14 and 15-18). In Egypt, the pathway choices differ by according to age group. The younger (12-14) participants can choose to either return to school or start a micro-enterprise, while the older age group (15-18) can choose to start a micro-enterprise or go into a three-month apprenticeship/vocational training program. As well as training, each participant receives a small cash grant to support their choice, as well as peer-to-peer and community-based mentorship.
International Youth Day is marked on the 12th of August each year; an annual celebration of the role of youth in change around the world. It is an opportunity to highlight their achievements, challenges and the problems they face.
