Empowering Youth to Transform Communities

The Story of Uwezo Youth Development Project by Zablon Samba

Many are the times that the youth have been expected to change the appearance and character of their communities

especially with regard to their numbers; but just how do they do this without getting more control over their own life or

the situation they are in?

Uwezo Youth Development Project (UYDP) envisions a pool of empowered and resourceful young people who will be

leading agents of sustainable development practices for environmental protection, improvement of lives and creation

of a better and peaceful world for all. To attain this, you agree it is very necessary to involve and empower the young

people adequately.

In its quest to impact positively and empower the young people, UYDP proposes and encourages a value system that

will help prepare them to transform their communities. These values include service above self, non-discrimination,

responsiveness, hope, active citizenship and community focus. It is upon this basis that we seek to work with the

young people.

What happens when youth in Kenya leave high school? Can we confidently say that they have the capacity to live

through life optimally? This can be debated. However, UYDP looks to equip these out-of-school youth with the

capacity not only to just understand but also to take action on the issues they understand. We seek to enable them

address the challenges they and their communities face. Several capacity building and awareness programmes have

been lined up. One of such is the Budding Hope Mentorship Programme that will be rolled out by August this year.

The world is fast embracing ICT and we are not left behind. Information is power and UYDP seeks to train powerful

young people to disseminate necessary and reliable information. We have set up communication channels through

youth-friendly social media with a running blog enhanced by our presence on Facebook and Twitter.

The fact that many young people lack meaningful and constructive work to do hurts the economy-because a very

large potential workforce is not being utilized fully or maybe not at all. Instead, these youth resort to vices as a way of

earning a living. The solutions that UYDP seeks to provide to these challenges are definitely not get-rich-quick

schemes, but are surely viable and very sustainable.

Uwezo Youth Development Project is applying the “double-edged sword” principle for the mutual benefit of the

organization and its members. For instance, as environment and climate change ambassadors, we seek to protect

the planet while at the same time enable the members to earn something through the interventions. Currently,

through the Intergraded Climate Actions Project, we have a focus on green businesses; which views the challenges

of climate change as resources and aims at changing them into enterprising opportunities in extra-ordinary ways.

From such initiatives, young people will be able to sustain themselves leading to an increase in employment

opportunities and a reduction in poverty levels.

In March 2012, 15 members of UYDP attended a four-day Climate Change and Green Business Development

workshop organized by the Climate Action Programme for Schools and Youth (CAPSAY) at the Elsamere Field Study

Centre in Naivasha. Through the training, they were able to amass a great deal of knowledge and skill on how to

identify, develop and run green business enterprises. This was very critical as it has improved UYDP’s capability to

undertake the same as well as implement climate change actions and educate others on the same.

Through these various interventions we hope to increase the youth effect in development at the local community level

and beyond through a more informed society and greater involvement of the youth in solution development and policy

formation.

We are on a mission to reach out to young people and communities with knowledge, skills and opportunities that will

empower and strengthen them to positively transform their lives and their communities. Empowering youth to

transform communities is the call to which we are committed. Join us so that together we can create a better world.