Supporting employment and entrepreneurship for vulnerable youth in five departments of Nicaragua, with an Orange Economy approach.

  • Country: Nicaragua.
  • Location: Departments of Managua, León, Chinandega, Masaya, and Matagalpa.
  • Duration: December 2022 to November 2023.
  • Participants: 140 young people, 50% women, experiencing social exclusion.
  • Area of specialization: Vocational and micro-entrepreneurship training.

Starting point

Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Americas, after Haiti, where 8.9% of the population lives in extreme poverty. The economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened the situation, with a decline in job opportunities. Young people have been the hardest hit. Forty percent of the economically active young population lacks access to work and lacks a decent wage that guarantees access to basic necessities. Furthermore, this crisis has hit women and women-led households the hardest, increasing their vulnerability.

Objective

The purpose of this initiative is to promote employment and entrepreneurship among 200 vulnerable young people, 50% of whom are women, by strengthening their work skills and entrepreneurial abilities under the “Orange Economy” approach.

What is the project about

Job placement is enhanced through training in “hard” techniques and “soft” skills tailored as much as possible to the country’s needs and the demands of the business sector. Furthermore, entrepreneurship is supported through the orange economy approach, creating business ideas in the audiovisual, music, gastronomy, digital tourism, and other sectors. These actions are complemented by support for job placement and market access for entrepreneurs.

This project not only helps promote employment and entrepreneurship among vulnerable youth, but also achieves other goals. Among them, strengthening the business community by creating links between established and new entrepreneurs. Furthermore, by encouraging entrepreneurial youth to apply the principles of environmental sustainability and the circular economy, it has a positive impact on the fight against climate change and waste prevention. All of this, while promoting equal opportunities between women and men.

Entities that support this project