Investing in Youth

In more than 15 countries, CHF International has successfully engaged youth in productive opportunities and civic leadership. In turn, young people have made important contributions towards building proposerous and peaceful societies. Throughout the world, youth—when provided with the necessary investment and faith—have proven to be powerful agents of positive change both within development programs and society at large.

However, if youth are marginalized and are not provided with adequate opportunities, their energy often goes untapped and their potential remains unfulfilled. According to recent statistics from the International Labor Organization, unemployment among youth worldwide is two to three times higher than unemployment among adults; youth in developing countries are often even more disadvantaged in terms of access to employment.

CHF International has established Investing in Youth as a cross-cutting themes to be actively integrated into our programming to the greatest extent possible.

Our innovative youth-based initiatives focus on three major themes:

Youth-focused programs include:

JORDAN: Combating Exploitive Child Labor through Education (CECLE).

The CECLE program in Jordan will withdraw 4,000 children from the worst forms of child labor and prevent 4,000 children from entering into such circumstances, by providing them with direct educational services and other non-formal education

LEBANON: Lebanon Education Assistance for Development (LEAD)

The LEAD program is enhancing the educational environment through minor infrastructure improvements, increased equipment and supplies that can be practically applied to current curricula, while also promoting awareness raising campaigns and extracurricular activities that promote tolerance, community involvement and leadership.

WEST BANK AND GAZA: Emergency Jobs Program (EJP)

The Emergency Jobs Program’s objective is to provide well-targeted, skilled and unskilled emergency employment opportunities by collaborating closely with public and private sector entities, communities and local organizations to implement small-scale labor-intensive infrastructure projects.

HONDURAS AND MEXICO: Youth Engagement for Advancing Hope (YEAH)

Through a two-country grant from the Alcoa Foundation, CHF is providing workforce development/skills training in parts of Honduras and Mexico where youth face extreme difficulty in finding long-term employment, and are susceptible to turning to gang violence as an alternative.

KOSOVO: Small Infrastructure for Education in Kosovo (SIEK)

The SEIK program is improving the physical space for primary and secondary schools in Kosovo in order to contribute to the Kosovo Government’s goal of reducing the number of school shifts from three or four to only two by 2011.

RWANDA: Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Program (CHAMP)

One of the primary focus areas for CHAMP is expanding nutritional and educational services for the country’s massive number of orphans and vulnerable children, particularly for child-headed households, who are affected by HIV and AIDS.