Building Resilience and Opportunity for Youth - BROY 

(Impact since 2019)

In three specifically chosen districts of the Wolaita Zone—Sodo Zuria, Damot Weyde, and Damot Gale—TDA is carrying out the project

titled "Building Resilience and Opportunities for Youth" with the financial assistance of the European Union under the Civil Society Fund III (CSF III). Together with the other two applicants, Wolaita Development Association and Send A Cow Ethiopia, TDA is carrying out the project.

The project contributed to realizing the increased capacity of youth to engage in policy dialogue by organizing institutional dialogue with the local administration. Youth associations in project-targeted kebeles have strengthened and led their members, asking for their rights and challenging government officials for miss resource utilization and management. 

The project also contributed to increasing access to economic opportunities by the youth.  After the discussion, the government office committed to avail ETB 3,737,000.00-birr revolving fund allocated for rural job opportunity creation office via microfinance institution to be distributed to 2,600 youth to help rural youth engage and earn income through different business sectors.

With regard to the output level achievements, there are good results achieved toward the project target. By organizing youth community conversation sessions for 4,200 youth CSO members from 30 youth CSOs on youth rights, policy, and lobbying.

The project also conducted 18 experience-sharing visits to service providers for 200 (110 females) within Wolaita Zone.  The project also organized government job schemes analysis sessions for 25 males and 15 Females and supported the development of a joint action plan for job scheme analysis.

The target group of the action was 46,131 youth, defined as women and men aged 18-34 (19,196 females and 26,935 males) from three districts -Sodo Zuria, Damot Weyde, and Damot Gale- in Wolaitta Zone. The group also includes 32,520 youth from 404 youth cooperatives (12,033 females and 20,487 male), 650 youth (553 females, 97 male) from 32 self-help groups established by the three implementing partners, and 12,961 youth (6,610 females and 6,351 male) from 3 Disabled People Organizations which are members in their respective kebele youth associations. In order to reach the target group, the action will work with the existing 439 youth organizations that currently represent these young men and women.

Principal successes over the previous three years

1. In the six kebeles in the Wolayita zone that the project is targeting, six demonstration and learning sites have been created. The locations are Adecha and Mayo Offore in Damot Woyde, Zamine Sibaye and Ade Aro Kebeles in Damot Gale, and two each in Sodo Zuriya Woreda (Bossa Kecha and Gulgula) and Damot Woyde. Participants in the project are imparting their knowledge to other youngsters, farmers, and the community. They are restoring degraded fields, harvesting soil and water, replanting trees, participating in IGA, and earning money. They built assets like shoat rearing, and beekeeping, and hold more than 5 ha of fertile land, saving more than 50,000 ETB in the process.
2. The project could connect young people's businesses, associations, and networks with financial service providers so they can grow. Youths could borrow 8,360,800 ETB from Omo microfinance for the lowest possible annual interest rate if they saved 1,352,000 ETB. They generated birr 9,239,020 in total capital, and 154 businesses that employed more than 950 adolescents benefited from their efforts.
3. The FDRE Youths associations may certify youth CSOs in all targeted kebeles as legal institutions to carry out various development initiatives there.
4. Thirty hectares of land were available for the young people involved in the project to utilize for different money-making endeavors, and 25 hectares were set aside as demonstration plots. Previously, due to a lack of understanding and bureaucracies, youths were unable to access rural land.
5. Youths are pressing local governments to respect their rights and promote good governance in their communities.
6. Through young CSOs and institutions, the government structure is collaborating with youth to accomplish its goals. Additionally, the government is advocating for and supporting young CSO members in top government positions.

Serving the whole person!