Talents Pluriels – Safe and Inclusive Economic Growth for Vulnerable Youth in the DRC

The project aims to improve safe inclusive and equitable economic growth for vulnerable youth in the cities of Bukavu Kinshasa and Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Project activities include: (1) training vulnerable youth entrepreneurs in a safe inclusive and gender-responsive environment. The training aims to strengthen and grow micro small and medium-sized enterprises; (2) tailoring training on the developing and adopting safe inclusive and gender-responsive human resource policies and practices. Then delivering the training sessions to local companies and international organizations’ staff; and (3) organizing safe inclusive and gender-responsive community engagement sessions on discrimination against vulnerable youth. Community leaders lead the sessions to create dialogues among communities including community-based organizations and support networks. The project beneficiaries are Kinshasa Bukavu and Lubumbashi’s vulnerable youth (including young women) companies community and vulnerable youth’s family members. The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) is co-financing the project.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased safe inclusive and equitable participation by vulnerable youth in the formal labour market; (2) increased effectiveness of businesses in adopting and implementing safe inclusive and gender-responsive employment strategies programs and policies for vulnerable youth; and (3) increased safer more inclusive and gender-responsive environments for vulnerable youth communities families and support networks.