FINCA Canada

Published purpose

The Increasing Economic Opportunities for Youth in Uganda and Tanzania project aims to increase economic opportunities for youth (30 and under) in Uganda and Tanzania through financial inclusion and entrepreneurship. The project seeks to address the socio-economic inclusion of youth (30 years and under) and particularly marginalized and vulnerable young women, in Uganda and Tanzania, by enhancing the skills, financial inclusion, and employability of youth, ultimately contributing to economic growth and reducing poverty for themselves and their families. To achieve this, the project will employ an innovative two-pronged approach targeting youth that will couple vocational training and employment enhancement initiatives alongside financial literacy development. By offering vocational training, the project will offer skills development opportunities to youth that are relevant to the current and local job market, in each target country. Financial and non-financial products directly targeting the needs of youth, and marginalized and vulnerable young women in particular, will be developed to further enable them to apply the skills that they’ve gained and start a new business or expand pre-existing enterprises. Finally, to ensure gender-equal financial inclusion, all financial services and products offered through the project will be reviewed with a gender-lens to ensure equal access and benefits for young women.