Employment & Youth

Young people are often seen as being inactive, problematic and non-receptive to positive developments. However, there are many examples of young people willing to improve their own situation and that of their neighbourhood. The difficulties to find work make young people creative. They do have a lot of energy and ideas. But when they want to put their ideas into action they frequently lack not only the (financial) means but support as well.

For young people it is even harder to find work since they often lack skills and experience. Because of poor education and low perspectives the youth is vulnerable to become involved in criminal activities and drug abuse. Most of the people living in slums and informal settlements struggle with low income, unemployment and lack of business opportunities. This keeps them trapped in, crowded neighbourhoods, with a lack of clean houses, and basic services.

Cape Town

Although the South African economy shows impressive growth rates, unemployment is still high and persistent, particularly with young people. More than one third of the working population of South Africa is unemployed. In the Philippi suburb of Cape Town, unemployment is as high a 50 percent.

In Philippi youth is particularly hard hit by unemployment. As a consequence young men and boys hang around in the neighbourhood; disrespecting elderly people, stealing money from home and abusing girls. Many of them use drugs. Over the weekend the situation often escalates when gangs from neighbouring townships enter the area, resulting in violent confrontations, in which people are killed regularly.

San Salvador

In San Salvador too, few jobs are available. The wages are low and employees have little rights and protection. Women usually only find jobs in maquiladoras, garment assembly industry workplaces, with poor working conditions. Opportunities for professional and vocational training are few.

Youth in San Salvador often are involved in gangs, called maras or pandillas, selling and using drugs. They are vulnerable to this, because due to the unemployment, criminal activities look like the only way for them to make a living. Reintegration into society is hard for former gang members. Their visible tattoos for example hamper them when looking for work.

Kisumu

In Kisumu some factories have closed down; others have relocated to other countries. Workers have been pushed in street trading and informal jobs. Currently 60 percent of the working population depends on the informal sector; commonly know as Jua Kali (meaning ‘under the hot sun’ in Swahili). Most of the women in Kisumu work in small-scale trading or the informal fishing industry, cleaning and drying parts of fish carcasses, which are leftovers from the processing factories.

The unemployed youth of Kisumu feel helpless, depressed and are prone to negative activities like crime, violence. Jobs available for the youth are hectic, manual, tiresome and not promising, this has forced many youths into negative choices which can explain the high HIV/Aids prevalence rates in the region. Youth still see themselves as job seekers and not job creators as they have limited entrepreneurial skills to venture into self employment.