Sub-Saharan Africa

Burundi’s economy has been recovering slowly in the wake of the civil war, ethnic tensions and a dictatorship. The subsistence farming economy was greatly reduced after the war, which has led to millions of people being food-insecure and reliant on…

Over twenty five years after the devastating genocide, Rwanda has made remarkable progress. However, around 68% of the population is employed in agriculture at a predominantly subsistence level. Rwanda’s 2020 vision aims to create 200,000 ‘off-farm’ jobs annually for (mostly)…

After years of brutal civil war, Liberia was hit by the worst Ebola epidemic in history, which shut down the country and economy. However, five years on, young people are reclaiming their futures. With 60% of the country’s population under…

After decades of civil war, violent extremism and recent widespread famine caused by droughts, Somalia’s youth face numerous hardships in accessing better opportunities. To improve access to jobs, SPARK has helped create a mandatory, national internship policy in Somaliland that…

Initial optimism surrounding the 2011 independence from Sudan was dashed when the youngest country in the world was plagued by more violence. With around 72% of the population under the age of 30, unemployment and food insecurity are SPARK’s main…