A Beacon of Hope for Youth
THE CHALLENGE: In Africa’s drylands, a quickly growing youth population is burdened with the harsh realities of unemployment, inflation, and drought, with few opportunities to break free from this cycle compounded in recent years by the lasting effects of COVID-19, lack of access to educational opportunities, and discrimination. About 60% of the African population is under the age of 25, and more than 72 million of that population is not in school, employment, or training – many of them young women (ILO) (World Bank). To make matters worse, this population is expected to grow from 447 million to 1.3 billion in just two generations
OUR SOLUTION: Our REAP for Youth model has been designed to equip both young women and men with the tools, knowledge, and resources to build long-lasting and innovative livelihoods. This youth-focused model sees the enrollment of equal numbers of women and men along with enhanced business training, coaching, and connections to entrepreneurial services. With a condensed 12-month timeline, these programs serve as a beacon of hope amid rising unemployment across the dryland regions.
REAP FOR YOUTH
Key Impacts

Youth Employment
Creating sustainable youth employment through the establishment and maintenance of profitable enterprises

Community Uplift
By running a business, receiving steady income, and gaining access to credit, loans and savings, enrolled youth will be able to support thousands of other household members.

Opportunity Growth
Their success within the program will also help youth perceptions and expectations of what is possible for themselves and will allow them to act as role models
Programs
SEED
Launched in 2021, our Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (SEED) program implemented in Isiolo and Marsabit counties alongside the county governments and Smart Regional Consultants (SRC) has enrolled 2,400 youth to date. Drawing on BOMA’s extensive experience and established community partnerships, SEED equips pastoralist youth with the necessary skills and resources to establish sustainable livelihoods and lift themselves and their families out of extreme poverty. Peer to peer mentorship is also a big component of growing the program’s impact, with participants sharing their knowledge with three other youths within their communities on trainings they have received during mentorship and coaching period.
GraduJeunes (Chad)
BOMA is partnering with Initiative Humanitaire pour le Developpment Local (IHDL) to help vulnerable youth and refugee communities (host and returnee) gain sustainable livelihoods in five locations around Chad. The program will start its first phase with the enrollment of 1,500 women and men and aims to help participants overcome market participation obstacles and strengthen the capacity of the local implementation organizations with the goal to eventually grow the program to scale. The project is supported by Whole Foods Market Foundation and Vitol Foundation.
Youth Excel
In line with BOMA’s continuous journey of improvement and innovation, we have partnered with the USAID’s Youth Excel implementation research initiative to bridge the gap between research and practice by identifying practical strategies for effective implementation on real-time. This project sits under the Youth Excel Resilient Food Systems and the Global Food Crisis activity funded by USAID with sub-award from IREX. Our research engages young researchers’ and stakeholders to co-create learning questions that support priorities relevant to youth, water and agricultural systems.
How does REAP for Youth differ from other youth-focused livelihood programs?
- With over 14 years of experience, BOMA has developed a deep understanding of our partner communities and local market systems within the ASAL context
- Our implementation partner, Smart Regional Consultants (SRC), have built their expertise over the past five years in supporting MSMEs, smallholder farmers, youth in technical and vocational programs, and development institutions throughout the dryland regions of Africa
- Anchored in robust digital platforms:
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology
- Performance Insights (PI): a data management and visualization platform for real-time participant monitoring
Featured in REAP for Youth
Help continue our legacy and impact the lives of +3 million women, youth and refugees by 2027.