Skills2Live
Skills2Live equips youth with skills for life and health.
Youth unemployment remains one of the most pressing challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, where millions of young people face limited access to education, skills training, and economic opportunities.
Transforming Youth Futures Across Southern Africa
Youth unemployment remains one of the most pressing challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. The Skills2Live (S2L) programme is Young Africa’s bold response to these challenges. Launched in 2021, this transformative initiative empowers young people in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Angola by equipping them with the tools they need to build sustainable livelihoods. Through a holistic approach that integrates vocational training, entrepreneurship, and life skills with health services, S2L ensures that participants are not only employable but also resilient, self-reliant, and capable of making informed decisions about their futures.
S2L leverages Young Africa’s Integral Training Model, which addresses three core aspects of youth development:
- Hands: Equipping youth with practical vocational skills to access employment or start their own businesses.
- Mind: Fostering entrepreneurship and critical life skills like financial literacy, problem-solving, and communication.
- Soul: Providing health education and wellness support, with a focus on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and mental well-being.
By integrating these elements, the programme creates a strong foundation for participants to navigate the challenges of the modern world.
Objectives of the project
Youth unemployment remains one of the most pressing challenges in sub-Saharan Africa, where millions of young people face limited access to education, skills training, and economic opportunities. In Southern Africa, this issue is exacerbated by systemic barriers, including gender inequality, geographic isolation, and a lack of health services. For vulnerable youth—particularly young women and marginalised groups—these obstacles create cycles of poverty and dependence that are difficult to escape.
The project seeks to promote sustainable livelihoods, reduce vulnerabilities, and enhance resilience for at least 21,120 young people, enabling them to achieve SRH outcomes through a combination of economic empowerment and SRHR interventions.
Promote Economic Independence
Train 12,690 youth in vocational and entrepreneurship skills to secure sustainable livelihoods.
Foster Health and Resilience
Provide comprehensive SRHR services, increasing access to mental health and sexual health resources for young people.
Build Green Futures
Introduce climate-conscious courses, such as solar technology and agroforestry, to create eco-friendly livelihood opportunities.
Empower Women Entrepreneurs
Deliver tailored business development programmes for women in the informal sector, promoting financial literacy and business growth.
Strengthen Post-Graduation Support
Enhance job placement services, establish savings and lending groups, and provide start-up kits for graduates to launch their careers.
Key outcomes
Our approach
S2L uses mobile training units to reach underserved communities and centre-based hubs for hands-on education in trades like welding, tailoring, and cosmetology.
Wellness centres at training sites provide counselling, mental health support, and SRH education, addressing critical barriers to well-being.
By offering entrepreneurship training and green skills like agroforestry and waste management, S2L equips youth with future-ready tools.
The programme includes tailored support for young mothers, such as child-minding services and savings groups.
Through mentorship, job placement, and financial literacy programmes, S2L ensures that graduates transition successfully into employment or entrepreneurship.
Mobile and Centre-Based Training
S2L uses mobile training units to reach underserved communities and centre-based hubs for hands-on education in trades like welding, tailoring, and cosmetology.
Integrated SRHR Services
Wellness centres at training sites provide counselling, mental health support, and SRH education, addressing critical barriers to well-being.
Entrepreneurship and Green Courses
By offering entrepreneurship training and green skills like agroforestry and waste management, S2L equips youth with future-ready tools.
Empowering Women and Mothers
The programme includes tailored support for young mothers, such as child-minding services and savings groups.
Post-Graduation Support
Through mentorship, job placement, and financial literacy programmes, S2L ensures that graduates transition successfully into employment or entrepreneurship.
Accessibility and Innovation
One of S2L’s defining features is its commitment to accessibility. The programme uses mobile training units to deliver vocational education to remote and underserved areas, ensuring no young person is left behind. Participants gain hands-on skills in trades like welding, tailoring, cosmetology, and food production, preparing them for in-demand jobs or entrepreneurship opportunities.
Health and well-being are integral to the programme’s success. Wellness centres at training sites provide participants with critical services, including mental health counselling, SRH education, and child-minding facilities for young mothers. This support enables youth to fully engage in their training, reduces dropout rates, and builds confidence in their personal and professional lives.
S2L’s focus on entrepreneurship has also empowered participants to launch their own businesses. By 2023, 620 youth-led enterprises were established, ranging from small-scale catering services to innovative green businesses using recycled materials. Additionally, partnerships with microfinance institutions and savings groups have provided financial resources for graduates to sustain and grow their ventures.
Our impact so far
“Skills2Live brought life to me. I never thought I would make it as a single mother. Here I am now, a proud young woman running my own business and earning a meaningful income.”
Ashley Gwatida
Hairdresser | Mashava, Zimbabwe
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