Empowering Youth, Opening up Perspectives - Employment Promotion As a Contribution to Peace Consolidation in South-East Liberia
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SLE Publication Series – S… SLE Publication Series – S251 Seminar für Ländliche Entwicklung (SLE) – Centre for Rural Development Study commissioned by Welthungerhilfe in collaboration with the German Financial Cooperation-funded Reintegration and Recovery Program (RRP) and its partners IBIS and medica mondiale Liberia Empowering Youth, Opening up Perspectives - Employment Promotion as a Contribution to Peace Consolidation in South-East Liberia Dr. Ekkehard Kürschner (Teamleader), Joscha Albert, Emil Gevorgyan, Eva Jünemann, Elisabetta Mina, Jonathan Julius Ziebula Monrovia / Berlin, December 2012 Foreword i Foreword SLE Publication Series S251 For 50 years, the Centre for Rural Development (SLE - Seminar für Ländliche Entwicklung), Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, trains young professionals for the field of German and international development cooperation. Editor Humboldt Universität zu Berlin Three-month practical projects conducted on behalf of German and international Seminar für Ländliche Entwicklung (SLE) organisations in development cooperation form an integral part of the one-year Hessische Straße 1-2 postgraduate course. In interdisciplinary teams and under the guidance of an 10115 Berlin experienced team leader, young professionals carry out assignments on innovative Tel.: 0049-30-2093 6900 future-oriented topics, providing consultant support to the commissioning FAX: 0049-30-2093 6904 organisations. Involving a diverse range of actors in the process is of great [email protected] importance here, i.e. surveys from household level to decision makers and experts at www.sle-berlin.de national level. The outputs of this “applied research” directly contribute to solving specific development problems. Editorial Dr. Karin Fiege, SLE The studies are mostly linked to rural development (incl. management of natural resources, climate change, food security or agriculture), the cooperation with fragile or least developed countries (incl. disaster prevention, peace building, relief) or the Print Zerbe Druck & Werbung development of methods (evaluation, impact analysis, participatory planning, process Planckstr. 11 consulting and support). 16537 Grünheide Since 1972, SLE has carried out 147 projects with the current focus and regularly publishes the results in this series. Distribution SLE In 2012, SLE teams have completed studies in the Democratic Republic of the Hessische Str. 1-2 Congo, South Sudan, in Liberia and the Republic of Moldova. 10115 Berlin The present study was commissioned by Welthungerhilfe in collaboration with the 1. Edition 2012 1-200 Reintegration and Recovery Program (funded through German Financial Cooperation) and its partners IBIS and medica mondiale. Copyright 2012 by SLE ISSN 1433-4585 ISBN 3-936602-55-7 Prof. Frank Ellmer Dr. Susanne Neubert Cover Photos Top: Grigsby Farm in Sinoe (Eva Jünemann) Dean Director Bottom left: Liberian young woman attending a tailoring training in Grand Gedeh (Elisabetta Mina) Faculty of Agriculture and Horticulture / Centre for Rural Development / Bottom centre: Liberian young men attending a welding training LGF der HU SLE in River Gee (Jonathan Julius Ziebula) Bottom right: Liberian youth driving motorcycle (Dr. Ekkehard Kürschner) ii Foreword Acknowledgements iii Acknowledgements First and foremost we would like to express our sincere thanks to Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and Reintegration and Recovery Program (RRP), funded through German Financial Cooperation, for initiating and commissioning this study. In particular, we would like to thank Bernd Schwenk, the Regional Director for West Africa Coast (WHH), who served as excellent supporter throughout, to Beatrice Lucke (KfW), Margrit Roehm and Gregor Faath (WHH) for their support. Secondly, we received “big big” support whilst carrying out our field work in Grand Gedeh, River Gee, Sinoe and in Montserrado from Asja Hanano, Dirk Raateland, Philip Cooper, Horst Croessmann, Irene Sleven, Charles Spencer, Andre Stelder and all the WHH, IBIS (through Rosalind Hanson-Alp, Country Director) and medica mondiale (through Caroline Bowah Brown, Deputy Head of Mission) staff. We are also extremely grateful to them for the unique friendship held with the SLE team. Thirdly, we would like to thank all stakeholders in the three South-Eastern counties and in Monrovia/Montserrado for their interest and extraordinary support in guiding the study and in participating in research through round tables, interviews, focus group discussions and by providing contacts and valuable information and the like to identify the key issues on youth employment promotion. Special thanks in this regard goes to the communities and their inhabitants, in particular to the young women and men who openly shared their views and insights, as well as staff and representatives from the private-sector; organisations offering training and education as well as NGOs and the public sector, including local and national governments who provided us with their expert views for the study. The study would not have been possible without their support and patience, as well as their openness to discuss issues and in answering our endless questions. Fourthly, we would like to thank all the individuals who served as interviewers or facilitators and who supported the field work of the study in the numerous communities in Grand Gedeh, River Gee as well as in Sinoe. Fifthly, we would like to thank all the individuals and organisations who provided support and guidance in the study thanks to their valuable advice and comments in preparing and implementing the study, especially to Dr. Karin Fiege and all SLE staff. Sixthly, we are thankful to all the hosts who generously accommodated us at the various places and to all the guards, cooks, drivers etc. who generously ensured our wellbeing and who made our stay so enjoyable and rewarding. Seventhly, we apologise for not mentioning everybody. We would send a bunch of flowers to each and every one of you if we could. Please accept the sincere thanks of the entire study team for all the support received throughout the study. iv Acknowledgements Executive Summary v Executive Summary Study Context Youth unemployment is a critical concern worldwide. This is especially true for post- conflict societies such as Liberia, which continues to be one of the poorest countries in the world. The social and economic life of young people in Liberia is still characterised by the consequences of the 14-year civil war that ended in 2003. The capacities of public and private sectors at both national and local level were severely disrupted, the country’s infrastructure destroyed and a whole generation was left insufficiently educated and prepared for the labour market. One major challenge of the reconstruction, rehabilitation and reintegration process has been to address the needs of youth, many of whom were both victims of and participants in the civil war. In this regard the creation of employment opportunities for young people and empowering them are essential cornerstones for economic and social development contributing to peace consolidation in a fragile, post-conflict state. This study was commissioned by Welthungerhilfe in cooperation with the German Financial Cooperation-funded “Reintegration and Recovery Program (RRP)” and its implementing partners IBIS and medica mondiale Liberia in order to gain a deeper and holistic understanding of youth empowerment and sustainable youth employment promotion in the three operating counties in South-East Liberia, namely Grand Gedeh, River Gee and Sinoe. The study provides the relevant background and orientation for the development of a systematic approach of youth employment promotion, especially during the current and next phase of the programme. Furthermore, it is expected that the findings and recommendations are a useful source for the named organisations as well as other relevant stakeholders to develop further programmes and strategies in the field of youth employment promotion in comparable fragile contexts, and to sensitise relevant stakeholders in Liberia about this topic. Concepts and Methods The study is based on an integrated, three-dimensional approach of youth employment promotion, which combines concepts of youth promotion and employment promotion and is particularly suitable for post-conflict situations. According to this conceptual framework, an effective promotion of youth employment should address three main areas: (1) the labour supply; that is to say the employability of youth, including education, training, life skills promotion and psychosocial support; (2) the labour demand, meaning the generation of employment opportunities through private sector development, entrepreneurship promotion and vi Executive Summary Executive Summary vii access to financial services; and (3) matching services, whose aim is to link labour facilities and materials. Nevertheless, education and training is highly valued among demand and supply by strengthening cooperation and information-sharing as well as youth and the lack of education opportunities is the main reason for young people providing support such as career guidance and placement services. migrating mainly to Monrovia. In general the quality of teaching and training is low Furthermore, the study addresses gender as a cross cutting issue throughout the and training institutions lack sufficient practical and labour market orientation. There study as well as in the methodology. It also takes into consideration the OECD is a lack of qualified teachers and