From Leaving Home to Setting up Shop

According to the International Labor Organization, in 2016, there were 150 million migrant workers in the world – 66.6 million of them were women. In Ethiopia, poverty, unemployment and family pressure to earn money, combined with low public awareness about the consequences of migration have created a culture of migration, especially among young people in the rural areas. In many cases, youth accept irregular migration routes and jobs, which are risky, harmful and exploitative, especially for girls.

In Ethiopia, Youth in Action was launched in October 2012, with the aim to reach 8,700 young people aged 14 to 18, living in the rural communities of four woredas of the Amhara region: Gidan, Gubalafto, Habru and Raya Kobo. YiA is a six-year youth livelihood program implemented by Save the Children in partnership with Mastercard Foundation. The program aims to improve the socio-economic status of 40,000 out-of-school girls and boys, in rural Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Uganda. 

Read about Hana’s story and her experience with the Youth in Action programme in Ethiopia.