The number of development organizations continues to grow on the African continent with the majority of them focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals as it relates to solving the problems of youth empowerment. Most of these organizations are also youth-led organizations. Founded by energetic youth with brilliant ideas on how to leapfrog the continent’s development through their various initiatives.
This article highlights some youth-focused organizations on the African continent doing amazing work raising youth participation and voice.
- Afrika Youth Movement, Tunisia
Afrika Youth Movement is a pan-African, action-oriented, youth-led movement that strives for the participation, development, and leadership of African youth to transform Africa and achieve their rights to peace, equality, and social justice.
The organization is creating a continent that respects the rights of all its citizens. Through its work AYM promotes the values that bind the Africa continent; ubuntu, unity, self-determination, integrity, and accountability.
- Leap Africa, Nigeria
LEAP Africa is a youth-focused leadership development organization committed to raising leaders that will transform Africa; through interventions for young people, that bridges the gap in leadership, education, employability, and entrepreneurship. As a mission driven organization, it recognizes that youth leadership and inclusion is critical to nation building and wealth creation.
With over 1 million direct and indirect beneficiaries; footprints in about 26 states in Nigeria and 8 African countries, 11 published books, which are action-oriented guides to creating positive and lasting change in individuals, organizations, and communities. LEAP Africa is committed to the mission of raising leaders and empowering the youth agency across the continent to transform the Africa of our dreams.
- African Youth Action Network, South Sudan
The African Youth Action Network (AYAN) is a youth-led organization that supports and works with young progressive people to create programmes and influence policies in the areas of peace, gender, sexuality, health, education, the arts & good governance. The organization promotes, protects, and advances young people’s rights by building their leadership, and strengthening youth led initiatives and movements.
Founded in June 2015, in Uganda by South Sudanese young people, AYAN has worked directly with UNHCR to support South Sudanese young refugees to receive scholarships to study in Uganda. The organization believes that Illiteracy is one of the major causes of conflict in South Sudan. The organization is currently registered in South Sudan with a branch in Uganda and looking forward to opening in Kenya.
- Etijah, Egypt
Etijah aims to build capacities of governmental and non-governmental youth serving organizations so that it could provide a professional and a safe context for youth development in Egypt. This stems from Etijah’s belief that providing other NGOs with different sorts of assistance will lead to strengthening the bond between those organizations and youth. It will also lead to the transformation of youth from being beneficiaries to being active citizens. This will directly reflect on the efficiency of the partner NGOs.
The organization seeks to promote and facilitate the establishment of an equitable society in which all members (individuals, families, and communities) have an opportunity to participate in building the social, political and economic infrastructure of Egypt. All Etijah’s projects are geared towards creating a thriving environment in which all members of the community are granted an opportunity to progress and to improve the quality of their lives, and accordingly, that of their families’ and subsequent society.
Leading Youth, Sport and Development started in 2013 with the aim of using sport as a tool for curbing social vices and upliftment of the society.
Since March 2013 and the launch of its activities, the organization has developed programs and organized events with the aim of using sport as a gateway for children and adolescents. Creating synergies with local authorities, building, or renovating sports infrastructure, as well as training educators in establishing fulfilling environments that can contribute to the personal development of each young person.
The organization has impacted over 5000 youth, equipped 25 educators, repaired, and equipped over 30 schools with sport facilities.
- The Youth Cafe, Kenya
The Youth Café strives to enrich the lives of young people by modelling and advancing youth-led and rights-based approaches to foster young people’s civic efficacy, community resilience, sustainable development, an equitable society, as well as proposing innovative solutions, driving social progress, and inspiring transformative change by utilizing innovative research, policy, and advocacy actions.
The organization tries to advance youth-led approaches toward achieving sustainable development, social equity, innovative solutions, community resilience, and transformative change. The Youth Cafe strategy has always been to facilitate increased impact and expanded global, regional, and country-level action to address the needs, build the agency and advance the rights of young people in all their diversity around the world, and to ensure their engagement and participation in the implementation, review and follow-up of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as other relevant global agendas and frameworks.
It’s incredible to see the many numbers of organizations focused on responding to the needs of African youth.
At Philanthropy Circuit we will continue to showcase & celebrate the incredible work of local-led organizations developing the African continent.