The African Centre for Women Information Communication Technology (ACWICT) in partnership with the International Youth Foundation under it’s flagship employability program ‘Reaching the Un-reached’ led senior World Bank officials, Ivor Beazley and Jean Fares, in a field consultative meeting for a proposed youth employment program on July 23, 2008 at Ghetto-light youth group hall, Kibera.

The proposed employment and training program is an initiative by the World Bank in partnership with other public / private sector stakeholders. The meeting was meant to generate feedback that could be useful in the design of the program. Young people mostly ACWICT program beneficiaries, community leaders, and small business proprietors from the informal settlement participated.

Over the past 1 year, ACWICT in partnership with IYF has been implementing the ‘Reaching the Un-reached’ program. An employability program that aims to improve the employability prospects of 1,200 women from Nairobi’s informal settlements.

The project targets young women aged 18-35 years in six informal settlements in Nairobi. The target areas include Kawangware, Kibera, Korogocho, Kangemi, Mukuru and Mathare – Informal settlements in Nairobi.

The program has so far seen a total of 513 young women trained in ICT, Entrepreneurship, and Life Skills, out of whom 76 are presently in self employment, 11 in internships, and 40 on full time employment while 20 are actively involved in community service.

The meeting identified interventions aimed at improving employment chances for young people through employment and skills training programs.