Quicklinks: Our Impact – Green Jobs – Digital Jobs – News
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
From Roots to Resilience: Young Farmers Cultivating the Future of Agriculture in South-West Ethiopia
Sade Aalto-Setala
July 21, 2025
Meet Amina, Aster, Addisu, and Tagay - four young farmers from in and around Butajira, Ethiopia. United not only through their profession, but through their resilience and determination to build a brighter future in farming.
That future found fertile ground through a training programme led by Chakka Origins, a social enterprise rooted in organic agroforestry and working hand-in-hand with farming communities. With support from CFYE, the programme empowered youth - especially women and marginalised farmers - with practical skills, tools, and resources. Their approach is to use sustainable agriculture as a path to income, inclusion, and environmental protection.
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More Impact Stories:
Setting Cybersecurity Talent Up for Success: Guiding Young Professionals in Kenya with Cyber Shujaa’s Placement Officers
Ilaria Blasi
December 9, 2024
Over the past decade, Kenya has emerged as a regional hub for technology and innovation, attracting both established companies and start-ups. This growth has been matched by a favourable political and business environment, leading to increased job opportunities across various sectors such as Information Communication and Technology (ICT), trade, agriculture, manufacturing, and logistics.
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Resilience in Action: Darlene Clarke-Okah’s Menstrual Health Empire and Her Entrepreneurial Journey with Shecluded
Faatimah Clarke
November 18, 2024
Darlene Clarke-Okah’s earliest memories of adversity began in Liberia amidst the civil war. At just nine years old, she was left on her own as her father, a soldier, was forced to leave. The challenges she faced during this time were immense, but they also shaped her resilience and determination, setting her on a path to become the dedicated entrepreneur she is today, with support from Shecluded’s CFYE-backed FINWOMEN Programme.
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Poultry to Prosperity: Marwa’s Journey to Success Through Small Business Loans
Sade Aalto-Setala
October 21, 2024
Inspired by the idea of creating a cleaner and safer environment, James came up with an innovative solution— waste management.
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From Roots to Resilience: Young Farmers Cultivating the Future of Agriculture in South-West Ethiopia
Sade Aalto-Setala
July 21, 2025
Meet Amina, Aster, Addisu, and Tagay - four young farmers from in and around Butajira, Ethiopia. United not only through their profession, but through their resilience and determination to build a brighter future in farming.
That future found fertile ground through a training programme led by Chakka Origins, a social enterprise rooted in organic agroforestry and working hand-in-hand with farming communities. With support from CFYE, the programme empowered youth - especially women and marginalised farmers - with practical skills, tools, and resources. Their approach is to use sustainable agriculture as a path to income, inclusion, and environmental protection.
Read More
When Young Girls Dream Big: Nkem Okocha Supporting Communities Through Mamamoni
Sade Aalto-Setala
February 25, 2025
When Nkem Okocha, founder and CEO of Mamamoni, was just a young girl, she tragically lost her father. Suddenly, she watched her mother struggle to provide for the family, with no formal education and no access to capital. "In Nigeria, there are no safety nets," Nkem explains. Her mother was fortunate to receive a small amount of money, which she used to start a business, ensuring that her children could go to school. But as Nkem grew older, she realised her family's story was not unique. She saw women all around her community facing the same hardship. It was then that she made a promise to herself: once she had the means, she would help women like her mother gain financial independence. That promise became the foundation of Mamamoni.
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Empower Her – Final Report 2025
Sade Aalto-Setala
November 24, 2025
The CFYE Egypt portfolio has 13 Implementing Partners (IPs) with approximately 67,000 jobs’
target 50% of which targeting females. As CFYE concluded its Calls for Solutions and the focus
is now on the implementation of the IPs’ projects, the Egypt team saw fit to zoom in on the
women component of the jobs through launching the “Empower Her” initiative in 2024 over
two phases, the first phase in 2024 with the objective of mapping the entities and programmes
working on women economic empowerment (supply side), and second phase was launched in
2025 with the objective of capturing the voice of the females (demand side) and facilitate
collaborations among the key stakeholders identified during Phase One and CFYE’s
Implementing Partners (IPs). This report captures both the results of the mapping exercise
conducted during Phase One and the results of the focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted
with females (in the age group 18-35 years old) which constitute the demand side conducted
during Phase Two.
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More Learning material:
Green Jobs for Youth in Africa
Challenge Fund for Youth Employment
October 16, 2023
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.
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Digitally Enabled Jobs
Challenge Fund for Youth Employment
September 19, 2023
How the Digital Economy can promote decent livelihoods for Youth; Insights from Kenya
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Learning
Empower Her – Final Report 2025
Sade Aalto-Setala
November 24, 2025
The CFYE Egypt portfolio has 13 Implementing Partners (IPs) with approximately 67,000 jobs’
target 50% of which targeting females. As CFYE concluded its Calls for Solutions and the focus
is now on the implementation of the IPs’ projects, the Egypt team saw fit to zoom in on the
women component of the jobs through launching the “Empower Her” initiative in 2024 over
two phases, the first phase in 2024 with the objective of mapping the entities and programmes
working on women economic empowerment (supply side), and second phase was launched in
2025 with the objective of capturing the voice of the females (demand side) and facilitate
collaborations among the key stakeholders identified during Phase One and CFYE’s
Implementing Partners (IPs). This report captures both the results of the mapping exercise
conducted during Phase One and the results of the focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted
with females (in the age group 18-35 years old) which constitute the demand side conducted
during Phase Two.
Read More
Countries
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