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Creating, matching and improving 230.000 jobs for young women and men

in Subsaharan Africa and the Middle East.

The Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) is a 7-year programme funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Fund is managed by the Palladium Group, Randstad and VSO. 

Our Impact

Roots of Change: Building a Bamboo Empire through African Bamboo’s Seed Capital Programme

Roots of Change: Building a Bamboo Empire through African Bamboo’s Seed Capital Programme

Create family Increase in jobs Job for male and female stable income
In the serene yet economically challenged district of Bursa, Ethiopia, four young individuals – Sintayehu Sirbo, Miriam Sirham, Etagu Debo, and Mikrie Melkamu – embarked on a journey to break the cycle of unemployment. Today, they stand as the proud founders of Heri Bamboo, a thriving household products enterprise born through African Bamboo’s CFYE-supported Seed Capital Programme.  
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More Impact Stories:

Mastering Skills, Shaping Futures: The Generation Kenya Approach – Mildred and Naomi’s Story  

Mastering Skills, Shaping Futures: The Generation Kenya Approach – Mildred and Naomi’s Story  

Impact stories Kenya
In Bomet, an administrative town more than 220km away from Kenya’s Capital Nairobi, four young women farmers, Caren Cheluley (32 years old), Caren Chepkiriu (20 years old), Dorcas Chepkirui (19 years old) and Gladys Chepkemoi (27 years old) embraced High Iron Beans (HIB) farming, as a result of the collaborative project between Cherubet and Abosi Top Hill Cooperative, debunking the narrative that agriculture is not lucrative enough for young farmers.
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Empowering Young Kenyan Women: High-Iron Bean Farming as a Source of Income

Empowering Young Kenyan Women: High-Iron Bean Farming as a Source of Income

Green Jobs Impact stories Kenya
In Bomet, an administrative town more than 220km away from Kenya’s Capital Nairobi, four young women farmers, Caren Cheluley (32 years old), Caren Chepkiriu (20 years old), Dorcas Chepkirui (19 years old) and Gladys Chepkemoi (27 years old) embraced High Iron Beans (HIB) farming, as a result of the collaborative project between Cherubet and Abosi Top Hill Cooperative, debunking the narrative that agriculture is not lucrative enough for young farmers.
Read More
Bridging the gap in Community Health Care through Entrepreneurship

Bridging the gap in Community Health Care through Entrepreneurship

Impact stories
At 32 years old, Kyalikunda Allen's relentless determination and passion for her community and family have transformed her life and the lives of countless others. Kyalikunda Allen was acutely aware of the challenges her community faced, particularly when it came to accessing vital healthcare services. The nearest health centres were miles away, leaving community members with limited options for medical care. That was until Healthy Entrepreneurs offered her a life-changing job opportunity.
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All Stories »

Roots of Change: Building a Bamboo Empire through African Bamboo’s Seed Capital Programme

Roots of Change: Building a Bamboo Empire through African Bamboo’s Seed Capital Programme

Ethiopia Impact stories
In the serene yet economically challenged district of Bursa, Ethiopia, four young individuals – Sintayehu Sirbo, Miriam Sirham, Etagu Debo, and Mikrie Melkamu – embarked on a journey to break the cycle of unemployment. Today, they stand as the proud founders of Heri Bamboo, a thriving household products enterprise born through African Bamboo’s CFYE-supported Seed Capital Programme.  
Read More
Driving Growth and Empowering Leaders: CFYE’s Leadership Development Programme

Driving Growth and Empowering Leaders: CFYE’s Leadership Development Programme

Case study Home Insights and stories Interview
The CFYE portfolio encompasses a large group of fast-growing companies, where young people are enabled with the opportunity to quickly climb the ranks and receive a wealth of on-the-job training and experience. At the same time, many of the companies recognise the challenge to find the right senior-level talent to staff management teams and build out the managerial structure of the business. This is seen by these businesses as a key barrier for further growth. To address this challenge, CFYE partnered with the African Management Institute (AMI), a pan-African social enterprise dedicated to equipping ambitious businesses across Africa with the tools they need to thrive. AMI combines technology with innovative learning methodologies, offering a mix of web-based and mobile content, in-person workshops or virtual webinars, and practical hands-on applications. Together, CFYE and AMI launched a Leadership Development Programme, aimed at senior managers from 15 of our implementing partners, to empower them in becoming highly effective leaders. The programme targeted senior leadership and C-suite professionals, and equip them with strategies to empower teams, foster a healthy organisational culture, and deliver exceptional results. Through a blend of virtual workshops, access to an online learning platform, action learning projects, and coaching, participants gained critical management and leadership skills to drive meaningful change within their organisations. We spoke with four of the programme’s graduates—Salma, Mohammad, Clare, and Basel —about their experiences.
Read More

More Case Studies:

From Digital Payments to Decent Work: MadfoatCom’s Tailored Approach to Empowering the Next Generation

From Digital Payments to Decent Work: MadfoatCom’s Tailored Approach to Empowering the Next Generation

Case study Home Insights and stories Jordan
Decent work has emerged as a key topic in conversations around sustainable development. While international organisations and civil society groups have long emphasised the importance of decent work for economic growth, the private sector has been more hesitant to embrace it. However, as the momentum behind the concept grows, more businesses begin to acknowledge the value of investing in job quality for resilient and productive workplaces. One of CFYE's partners in Kenya, Mr Green Africa, has made remarkable progress in achieving decent work within the informal economy.
Read More
Fostering Creativity and Empowerment: LIVINC’s Journey to Meaningful Youth Participation

Fostering Creativity and Empowerment: LIVINC’s Journey to Meaningful Youth Participation

Case study Home Insights and stories Jordan
Decent work has emerged as a key topic in conversations around sustainable development. While international organisations and civil society groups have long emphasised the importance of decent work for economic growth, the private sector has been more hesitant to embrace it. However, as the momentum behind the concept grows, more businesses begin to acknowledge the value of investing in job quality for resilient and productive workplaces. One of CFYE's partners in Kenya, Mr Green Africa, has made remarkable progress in achieving decent work within the informal economy.
Read More
Empowering Ugandan Female Youth Farmers: A Transformative Journey through Inclusive Banking and Digitised Lending

Empowering Ugandan Female Youth Farmers: A Transformative Journey through Inclusive Banking and Digitised Lending

Case study Home Insights and stories Uganda
Decent work has emerged as a key topic in conversations around sustainable development. While international organisations and civil society groups have long emphasised the importance of decent work for economic growth, the private sector has been more hesitant to embrace it. However, as the momentum behind the concept grows, more businesses begin to acknowledge the value of investing in job quality for resilient and productive workplaces. One of CFYE's partners in Kenya, Mr Green Africa, has made remarkable progress in achieving decent work within the informal economy.
Read More

All Studies »

Case Studies

Driving Growth and Empowering Leaders: CFYE’s Leadership Development Programme

Driving Growth and Empowering Leaders: CFYE’s Leadership Development Programme

leadership
The CFYE portfolio encompasses a large group of fast-growing companies, where young people are enabled with the opportunity to quickly climb the ranks and receive a wealth of on-the-job training and experience. At the same time, many of the companies recognise the challenge to find the right senior-level talent to staff management teams and build out the managerial structure of the business. This is seen by these businesses as a key barrier for further growth. To address this challenge, CFYE partnered with the African Management Institute (AMI), a pan-African social enterprise dedicated to equipping ambitious businesses across Africa with the tools they need to thrive. AMI combines technology with innovative learning methodologies, offering a mix of web-based and mobile content, in-person workshops or virtual webinars, and practical hands-on applications. Together, CFYE and AMI launched a Leadership Development Programme, aimed at senior managers from 15 of our implementing partners, to empower them in becoming highly effective leaders. The programme targeted senior leadership and C-suite professionals, and equip them with strategies to empower teams, foster a healthy organisational culture, and deliver exceptional results. Through a blend of virtual workshops, access to an online learning platform, action learning projects, and coaching, participants gained critical management and leadership skills to drive meaningful change within their organisations. We spoke with four of the programme’s graduates—Salma, Mohammad, Clare, and Basel —about their experiences.
Read More

More Case Studies:

From Digital Payments to Decent Work: MadfoatCom’s Tailored Approach to Empowering the Next Generation

From Digital Payments to Decent Work: MadfoatCom’s Tailored Approach to Empowering the Next Generation

Case study Home Insights and stories Jordan
Decent work has emerged as a key topic in conversations around sustainable development. While international organisations and civil society groups have long emphasised the importance of decent work for economic growth, the private sector has been more hesitant to embrace it. However, as the momentum behind the concept grows, more businesses begin to acknowledge the value of investing in job quality for resilient and productive workplaces. One of CFYE's partners in Kenya, Mr Green Africa, has made remarkable progress in achieving decent work within the informal economy.
Read More
Fostering Creativity and Empowerment: LIVINC’s Journey to Meaningful Youth Participation

Fostering Creativity and Empowerment: LIVINC’s Journey to Meaningful Youth Participation

Case study Home Insights and stories Jordan
Decent work has emerged as a key topic in conversations around sustainable development. While international organisations and civil society groups have long emphasised the importance of decent work for economic growth, the private sector has been more hesitant to embrace it. However, as the momentum behind the concept grows, more businesses begin to acknowledge the value of investing in job quality for resilient and productive workplaces. One of CFYE's partners in Kenya, Mr Green Africa, has made remarkable progress in achieving decent work within the informal economy.
Read More
Empowering Ugandan Female Youth Farmers: A Transformative Journey through Inclusive Banking and Digitised Lending

Empowering Ugandan Female Youth Farmers: A Transformative Journey through Inclusive Banking and Digitised Lending

Case study Home Insights and stories Uganda
Decent work has emerged as a key topic in conversations around sustainable development. While international organisations and civil society groups have long emphasised the importance of decent work for economic growth, the private sector has been more hesitant to embrace it. However, as the momentum behind the concept grows, more businesses begin to acknowledge the value of investing in job quality for resilient and productive workplaces. One of CFYE's partners in Kenya, Mr Green Africa, has made remarkable progress in achieving decent work within the informal economy.
Read More

All Studies »

Case Studies

Driving Growth and Empowering Leaders: CFYE’s Leadership Development Programme

Driving Growth and Empowering Leaders: CFYE’s Leadership Development Programme

Case study Home Insights and stories Interview
The CFYE portfolio encompasses a large group of fast-growing companies, where young people are enabled with the opportunity to quickly climb the ranks and receive a wealth of on-the-job training and experience. At the same time, many of the companies recognise the challenge to find the right senior-level talent to staff management teams and build out the managerial structure of the business. This is seen by these businesses as a key barrier for further growth. To address this challenge, CFYE partnered with the African Management Institute (AMI), a pan-African social enterprise dedicated to equipping ambitious businesses across Africa with the tools they need to thrive. AMI combines technology with innovative learning methodologies, offering a mix of web-based and mobile content, in-person workshops or virtual webinars, and practical hands-on applications. Together, CFYE and AMI launched a Leadership Development Programme, aimed at senior managers from 15 of our implementing partners, to empower them in becoming highly effective leaders. The programme targeted senior leadership and C-suite professionals, and equip them with strategies to empower teams, foster a healthy organisational culture, and deliver exceptional results. Through a blend of virtual workshops, access to an online learning platform, action learning projects, and coaching, participants gained critical management and leadership skills to drive meaningful change within their organisations. We spoke with four of the programme’s graduates—Salma, Mohammad, Clare, and Basel —about their experiences.
Read More
Youth Magazine: Findings of the Youth-Centered Research in the Waste Management Sector Kenya

Youth Magazine: Findings of the Youth-Centered Research in the Waste Management Sector Kenya

Learning material
This paper is about how to leverage green jobs to realise the transition to a green economy. The first step to achieving this is to create a better understanding of green jobs. To this end, following a literature analysis, we provide a mapping tool to help classify green jobs and measure their (potential) impact. The tool is based on four indicators: (i) sector; (ii) green business strategy; (iii) climate action; and (iv) green skills.
Read More

More Learning material:

All Learning Material »

Learning

Youth Magazine: Findings of the Youth-Centered Research in the Waste Management Sector Kenya

Youth Magazine: Findings of the Youth-Centered Research in the Waste Management Sector Kenya

green jobs youth
This paper is about how to leverage green jobs to realise the transition to a green economy. The first step to achieving this is to create a better understanding of green jobs. To this end, following a literature analysis, we provide a mapping tool to help classify green jobs and measure their (potential) impact. The tool is based on four indicators: (i) sector; (ii) green business strategy; (iii) climate action; and (iv) green skills.
Read More

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