DOHA: Silatech, the regional social organisation that works to create jobs and expand economic opportunities for young Arabs has announced the completion of the phase 2 of the Youth Economic Empowerment Project (YEEP), a programme led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Yemen with the support of Silatech.
The YEEP II project aimed at providing young Yemenis with employment in public works programs, leading to job and skills training, career guidance, entrepreneurship assistance and job placement. Today 11,900 youth individuals have directly benefited from YEEP’s intervention during 2015, indirectly touching the lives of 83,300 family members with improved livelihoods opportunities.
Mohammed Al Naimi, Silatech CEO said:” We are delighted to have worked on shaping and delivering this initiative. It enabled us to expand the impact of its existing Yemen-based programming, as well as test out a range of innovative solutions which will serve to increase job creation opportunities for Yemeni youth.”
YEEP II was built upon the success of an innovative year-long pilot programme, supported by technical assistance from Silatech, which an independent evaluation found to be “highly relevant and timely in meeting the needs of a growing body of vulnerable youth in Yemen.” Silatech has provided YEEP II with a substantial financial contribution, as well as technical assistance in the areas of enterprise development, access to finance, career guidance and counseling, and job matching.
“The UNDP-Silatech partnership introduced a range of new tools and perspectives for unemployed youth to support the realisation of their full potential. The Tamheed test, the Youth Innovation and Creativity Award (Afkar Award) and Career Guidance centers have enabled the provision of much needed services. The current crisis has placed an additional demand for continuous assistance to youth and prevent radicalisation,” said Mikiko Tanaka, UNDP Yemen Country Director.
The Project is a multi-funded project with contributions from Silatech UNDP and SPARK as well as the Japanese, Korean and Dutch governments.
Silatech is a regional social initiative that works to create jobs and expand economic opportunities for young Arabs. The organisation promotes large-scale job creation, entrepreneurship, access to capital and markets, and the participation and engagement of young people in economic and social development. Since being founded in 2008 by HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Silatech has supported and financed over 120,000 youth-owned businesses, connected over 200,000 young individual to jobs. Silatech currently has programs in 16 Arab countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Comoros, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen. The Peninsula
