Project Name: Yemen Youth Savings Initiative
Inception date: May 2012
Current status: Active
Expected outcomes: 50,000 youth influenced through social marketing, at least 10,000 youth provided with financial literacy, at least 10,000 provided with savings accounts over 2 years
Partner(s): Al Amal Microfinance Bank, Al Kuraimi Islamic Microfinance Bank, GIZ, Yemen Microfinance Network, Sanabel
Countries covered: Yemen
Description: Provision of dedicated youth savings accounts combined with financial literacy to increase financial access for low-income youth. This project is one component of a larger regional youth savings initiative conducted in partnership with other local and regional partners. Other countries of implementation include Egypt and Morocco.
Project Name: Youth Loan Fund
Inception date: October 2009
Current status: Active
Expected outcomes: 50,000 youth provided with youth financial services
Partner(s): Al Amal Microfinance Bank (AMB)
Countries covered: Yemen
Description: Provision of technical and financial assistance to support AMB provide youth financial services, including the launched of dedicated youth loans and savings products.
Project Name: Youth Startup Guarantee Fund
Inception date: October 2012
Current status: Pilot Phase (6 months)
Expected outcomes: 250 youth start-ups supported financially during the pilot phase
Partner(s): Al Amal Microfinance Bank
Countries covered: Yemen
Description: Partial guarantee mechanism to stimulate lending to the higher risk youth startup cohort
Project Name: Youth Small Enterprise Loan Fund
Inception date: January 2010
Current status: On hold
Expected outcomes: 1,000 youth-run small business provided with financial services
Partner(s): Small Enterprise Development Fund, Social Fund for Development
Countries covered: Yemen
Description: Provision of technical and financial assistance to support SEDF in providing youth financial services, including the launched of a dedicated youth small enterprise loan product
Project Name: Khadija Youth Enterprise Training Scheme
Inception date: March 2010
Current status: Active
Expected outcomes: 500 youth trained and supported to start their own income-generating projects
Partner(s): Youth Leadership Development Foundation, Small Micro Enterprise Promotion Service (SMEPS), US Agency for International Development Community Livelihoods Project (USAID CLP)
Countries covered: Yemen
Description: Provision of entrepreneurship awareness and training to youth with a priority focus on fostering young businesswomen
Project Name: Yemen Construction Skills
Inception date: September 2009
Current status: Pilot complete, scale up on hold since April 2011
Expected outcomes: Create a model for delivering training, qualifications and long-term employability to young Yemenis in the construction sector in a sustainable and effective manner meeting international standards
Partner(s): Ministry of TEVT Yemen, Sana'a Community College, Qatari Diar, Consolidated Contractors Company-Yemen, Shibam Holdings
Countries covered: Yemen
Description: The program established a SilaQual accredited construction skills training center at Sana'a Community College, with 13 qualified public sector trainers who trained 1500 Yemeni youth over the program duration. The training center became self-sustaining within 6 months, and employers and trainees paid for training and qualifications offered to international standards. The program has been hailed as one of the few sustainable and scalable models for workforce development, successfully bridging the gap between public and private sector, and has led to the creation of an ethical manpower company to provide quality jobs to qualified workers.
Project Name: Kiva Arab Youth
Inception date: March 2012
Current status: Active
Expected outcomes: Approximately 1,700 youth enterprises supported, $2 million of funding mobilized over 12 months.
Partner(s): Kiva, 9 microfinance institutions in MENA
Countries covered: Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq
Description: Peer-to-peer lending channel on Kiva.org to support young Arab entrepreneurs