Many of the youth who in live in cities in the developing world live in slums or otherwise marginalized urban areas. Children and youth who grow up in slums are less likely to attend school than non-slum youth, as they face a range of factors hindering their attendance. youth are “working poor”— they are unskilled and have insecure jobs that they do in unsatisfactory conditions. Employment in the informal economy does not necessarily bring about a higher standard of living.
Build capacity among youth in the community
Support active youth participation in decisions affecting governmance
Strengthen climate action and improved slum environment
Effective urban crises prevention and response
Meet Mathare Environment Conservation Youth Group
The Group’s coordinator, Isaac Muasa, a winner of UN-Habitat’s Scroll of Honour award, describes the main challenges facing the community during the pandemic such as unemployment but also outlines the progress being made including providing facilities for over 2 million handwashes. “Young people have been taking the initiative of trying to look at challenges and turn them into opportunities,” he says.
More news and stories about Mathare youth
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Research on informality, COVID-19 and youth
We publish research on the latest findings addressing youth issues.