UN Volunteers improve the access of youth to education in Africa

In West and Central Africa, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme promotes youth education by facilitating youth access to capacity building, education and professional opportunities within the UN system.

In this region, where over 30 percent of the population is between the age of 10 and 24, UNV invests in youth volunteerism as a means to empower and enable youth to contribute to peace and development.

The education challenge is bearing on youth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Of all regions, it has the highest rates of education exclusion. According to UNESCO, almost 60 percent of youth between the ages of 15 and 17 are not in school, while over one-fifth of children between the ages of about 6 and 11 are out of school.

For Veronique Zidi-Aporeigah, Regional Portfolio Manager UNV Office for West and Central Africa, one way to deal with this situation is to promote volunteering as a tool for young people to develop their skills and contribute directly to their communities.

“Volunteering enables young people to work directly with communities, identify issues and find inclusive solutions to the challenges facing youth, especially education. They can, for example, promote access to informal or formal education,” said Veronique Zidi-Aporeigah, UNV Regional Portfolio Manager.

In West and Central Africa, 180 UN Youth Volunteers serve with the various UN agencies providing support as peer educators, or officers in innovation, gender community advocates among others. Their contribution is essential to advance the efforts of UN partners to service youth and enhance access to education.

Original source: UN Volunteers
Published on 14 August 2019