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This webinar featured several models and donor perspectives for facilitating market linkages for vulnerable adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe. These models are critical in fostering their economic empowerment and agency to stay HIV-free and safe from violence. We heard from program implementers and donors about the key challenges young women in these settings face and the pathways that can enable them to become successful entrepreneurs and employees- even in traditionally male-dominated trades and sectors. Panelists also discussed the implications of COVID-19 for economic strengthening.

This webinar provided attendees with a keen understanding of what models work and can be adapted to similar contexts for economic empowerment of AGYW. They also walked away with clarity on how COVID-19 is both increasing the economic insecurity of young women and opening up new opportunities for virtual work in the digital economy.

Moderator

Jason Wolfe: Senior Technical Advisor, Economic Strengthening

Jason Wolfe is a senior technical advisor with 20 years of grantmaking and service delivery experience in 50 countries. Through his work with USAID, OGAC and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, he has been a thought leader in deploying economic strengthening, livelihoods, and social protection approaches to address structural drivers of vulnerability for people affected by HIV, orphans and other vulnerable children, adolescent girls and young women, and food insecure households.

Speakers

Carrie Ellett: Regional Advisor for Youth Empowerment, BRAC USA - Empowerment and Livelihoods for Adolescents (ELA) program

As BRAC's Regional Advisor for Youth Empowerment, Carrie provides technical support to BRAC International countries in Africa on youth programming. She is based in East Africa.

Prior to joining BRAC, Carrie was the COO of Kepler, an innovative higher education program in East Africa. Carrie was also the inaugural Country Director for the Akilah Institute for Women in Bujumbura, Burundi. Before working in East Africa, Carrie was the National Program Director of Girls for a Change for seven years.

Carrie earned a Master's in International and Multicultural Education with an emphasis in Human Rights Education from the University of San Francisco.

Banele Mandaza: Program Manager Zimbabwe, The Bantwana Initiative of World Education - Siyakha Girls Project

Banele Mandaza has passionately defended the rights of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) by coordinating social protection and workforce development activities that better their lives for over ten years. As program manager at the Bantwana Initiative of World Education, Inc. in Zimbabwe, she layers livelihoods activities to enhance HIV programming reaching over 4,000 AGTW. Most recently, Banele oversaw the innovative Siyakha Girls pilot that prepared vulnerable AGYW for employment and entrepreneurship, collaborating with the private sector to enhance vocational training and negotiate internship and job placements. She holds a Bachelor's with Honors in Psychology from the University of Zimbabwe.

Constantine Obuya: Executive Director, African Center for Women, Information and Communication Technology (ACWICT) - Vusha Girls Employability project

Ms. Obuya is the founding Executive Director of the African Centre for Women, Information and Communications Technology (ACWICT), a not for profit Kenya based ICT4D organization whose mission is to promote women and youth access to ICTs as tools for sustainable development. ACWICT works to address challenges faced by underserved women and youth from urban informal settlements and rural communities in Kenya and regionally to provide solutions that improve their access to employment, education, health and leadership opportunities for better livelihoods. Prior to founding ACWICT, Ms. Obuya, a graduate of computer studies worked for leading local and international companies in the IT industry in Kenya, and in International and national development organizations.

Rita Larok: Director of Programs, AVSI Uganda

Rita Larok is a public health specialist with training and programing experience in OVC and youth programming, socio-economic strengthening, early childhood development, parenting, and HIV. She has worked within both the development and humanitarian sectors for over 16 years starting off as social worker within an HIV and Education program - a place where all the passion and love for children and adolescents begun. She currently serves Director of Programs with AVSI in Uganda and as Chief of Party of the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance Graduating to Resilience Activity that aims to graduate extremely poor refugee and Ugandan households in Kamwenge Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement from conditions of food insecurity and fragile livelihoods to self-reliance and resilience.