The Kefeta Program in Ethiopia is Uplifting Millions of Youth
Kefeta, which means “to elevate” in Ethiopia’s Amharic language, is creating a nationwide network of services to reach two million young people aged 15-29 by 2026.
Services include establishing and remodeling youth hubs, establishing career development centers, access to gender-sensitive and youth-friendly health services, basic functional adult literacy sessions for out of school youth, employability and digital skills trainings, business incubation support for youth entrepreneurs, and the first-ever youth owned and lead Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs), among others.
Kefeta is giving young people the skills, tools and support to shape a better future for themselves and the country.
Some poignant facts demonstrating the need to help Ethiopian youth:
– In 2019, 2.6 million youth were out of school, and only 29% of young people finished secondary school.
– In 2020, urban youth unemployment rate was 25%, leading to youth on the street, adolescent girls and young women getting involved in commercial sex work, and attributing to youth substance abuse.
– 24% of girls reported experiencing some form of physical violence and 30% reported being victims to rape.
Nearly 67% of the country’s urban population is under the age of 29, and 40% of the country is under 15 years. Kefeta is readying the youth ecosystem to accommodate this growth and is paramount for the country’s socioeconomic and political transformation.
