Creating better jobs for young people in fragile states
Opening pathways to employment
12572
Scholarships Provided
106860
Youth Trained
7900
Businesses Supported
28906
Jobs Created
her story
Elham Alabbadi
(33)
his story
Regis Umugiraneza
(29)
her story
Aya Baroud
(21)
his story
Ramzi Marji
(35)
her story
Payam Sarbast
(21)
her story
Rasha Rafai
(25)
his story
Magic Lens
her story
Noor Joma'a
(24)
his story
Mahmud Johnson
(27)
Featured story
“I do not want the next generation to leave the land”
Meet the woman creating rural employment through her village’s rich agricultural history. Elham Alabbadi is on a mission: to combat urbanisation and encourage other young people to see their futures within the agricultural sector. Jordan’s food security may depend on it.
“Be patient, be persistent and make sure your business is valuable”
Regis Umugiraneza, a 29-year-old Agribusiness graduate, grew up surrounded by fields of sweet potato. He was four years old when the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi population claimed the lives of his father, sister and many other family members.
“Whichever country I am in, I should be doing something significant”
Aya fled her home of Aleppo in 2015, leaving behind her dreams of studying Architecture. With a scholarship to learn in her native Arabic tongue at the University of Gaziantep, she is on track to completing her Bachelor's degree this year.
Coffee-fanatic, Ramzi Marji, had always dreamed of owning his own coffee company. COVID-19 gave him the push to start his entrepreneurial adventure. Customised coaching and mentoring helped him set measurable goals to work towards, and now his cold-brew coffee is the talk of the town.
“I can face anything in this life with self-confidence”
Sitting serenely amongst the chaos of the bustling newsroom, 21-year-old Payam Sarbast is unique. She is the youngest news reporter at Rudaw, one of the fastest growing news channels in the Middle East, while just a year ago she had no job, no work experience and no confidence.
“Education is everything, it’s the key to a new life”
Rasha Rifai, 25, comes from Damascus in Syria. As an only child, she is the sole breadwinner for her family. Her job has substantially improved the family’s financial situation.
“I could never imagine myself anything other than an entrepreneur”
Over 800 engineering students a year graduate in Gaza, in a market that needs about 50 engineers. For young graduates and media experts Ahmed, Mohammed, and Yousef, it was radically different.
“I invested in myself so that doors would open, eventually.”
“It never crossed my mind that I’d be leaving Syria,” said Noor Jouma’a. At 24, she could not anticipate having to leave her country in the middle of her university studies to start a new life in Jordan, along with more than 600,000 others.
“We are the ones creating the fundamentals for stability and growth”
Mahmoud won the SPARK Business Plan competition with his company, J-Palm, and got a chance to be funded. His company uses a waste-free manufacturing process to create a line of affordable, organic palm oil-based skin and hair care products. Then palm kernels are used to make a substitute for wood charcoal.
We provide young people with the tools they need to succeed in regions affected by conflict, climate crisis and displacement. Together with our local partners we implement six services that empower students and entrepreneurs to study, work and grow their own businesses.
