The COVID-19 pandemic confirmed what we already knew – girls’ education is most at risk during emergency and crisis situations. Many girls, particularly those in refugee camps and their surrounding host communities, may never return to school. That’s why we quickly adapted our conditional cash transfers (CTs) approach and our radio programming in Kenya to keep girls’…

HIRES is a pilot initiative that resettles refugee youth who currently live in Kenya through a unique private sponsorship pathway that partners with Canadian businesses. This pathway involves vocational training and an employment placement upon arrival. Both, responding to persistent barriers to economic inclusion facing refugee populations and supporting Canadian employers to meet labour market…

Many of our international partners have been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially true in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Sri Lanka and Vietnam where WUSC had planned to mobilize more than 200 volunteers this year to support partners in their efforts toward the creation of more resilient and inclusive economies. With office closures and…

 By Alyssa McDonald, WAGES Communications Advisor Volunteer, Ghana Businesses all over the world have felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – and Ghana is no exception. To stop the initial spread of the virus, government-mandated lockdowns were put in place, borders were closed, markets were shut down, and Ghanaian businesses and livelihoods were affected.…

Like it did in many countries, the COVID-19 virus spread quickly in Burkina Faso. The first case was reported in early March and by the end of May, nine out of thirteen regions of the country had been infected. With parts of the country already facing insecurity, COVID-19 presents serious additional and growing challenges for people, particularly those that…

How successful referendums across Canadian campuses are creating opportunities for young refugees to access post-secondary education

In response to COVID-19, the Government of Kenya, much like other governments around the world, initiated lockdowns of businesses and schools and implemented curfews to help curb transmission. Despite these measures, in just a few weeks, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kenya almost doubled, bringing the total at the time of writing to…

What is World Youth Skills Day? World Youth Skills Day highlights the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship, as well as recognizing the important role of skilled youth in addressing current and future global challenges. This year, World Youth Skills Day takes place in a difficult context. The COVID-19 pandemic…

All of Gabriel Ndayishimiye’s hard work over the past few years has recently paid off. This summer, he graduates with a B.A. Honours degree in globalization studies from Huron University in London, Ontario. Originally from Rwanda, Gabriel came to Canada in 2016 through the Student Refugee Program. He will be attending Columbia University in September…

How Employers and Training Centres can Navigate Together the Challenges of COVID-19 Globally, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates there are more than 64 million unemployed young people around the world, with a further 145 million youth working but living in poverty. Many sectors in many countries, including healthcare, construction, and automotive technologies, are experiencing rapid…