"We need to rebuild our country and for that our country needs educated men and women," said a female student in grade 5 with tears in her eyes when I asked her why she wanted to be educated and why education was so important to her.
Driving through the mountains of Ethiopia from the capital, Addis Ababa, to the northern region of Wollo, one cannot help but be impressed by the towering trees, the green, rolling hills, and the cool, crisp mountain air. Prior to traveling to Ethiopia, I had heard it was a beautiful country, but I soon realized pictures and anecdotes couldn't do justice to the sheer beauty of the country that is known as the birthplace of humanity.
In a majority of African countries, young people are given little to no voice in the decision-making process, yet the strength of youth and women are the dominant indicators associated with the social, economic, and political landscape of any nation. In particular, the Sahel is one of the poorest regions of the world and topics such as: education, governance, development, and conflict resolution warrant a special focus due to the current instability within the region.
September is the month that many children associate with going back to school; however we know that not every child has the chance to attend school. Even with all the progress that has been made, data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics indicates that more than 57 million children worldwide are out of school.
Egypt is a leader in the Middle East and North Africa region and continues to drive the regional economy even though the youth unemployment rate soars. Over 23 percent of Egypt's population in 2010 was between 18 and 29 years of age and 90 percent were either unemployed or underemployed. Complicating this already challenging environment, youth are living in cities that are undergoing profound political and social change. Through the USAID-funded Linking Education and Employment Program (LEEP) in Egypt, World Learning supports the simultaneous development of three career development centers in underserved and geographically diverse regions in Egypt. The program builds the capacity of these universities to equip students and graduates with the skills needed to gain employment and create sustainable links with local and national businesses to ease the transition from school to work.