Ministry Sets Aside Ksh 120 Million For Orphans, Persons With Disabilities

The Ministry of ICT, Innovation, and Youth Affairs and the World Bank have launched a 120 million shilling initiative dubbed the Future Bora.

According to the Ministry, the funds will support organizations that create income generation opportunities for orphans, persons with disabilities, youth affected by conflict, youth from vulnerable and marginalized communities among others.

FutureBora is an initiative of the Government of Kenya under the Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project (KYEOP).

By supporting interventions that are tailored to the local and highly specific needs of the most vulnerable youth, the initiative aims to expand economic opportunities for the most vulnerable and under-served Kenyan youth.

Speaking at the launch, the Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of ICT, State Department for Youth Affairs, Nadia Ahmed Abdalla said that the initiative is one of the products under the five-year KYEOP project which is funded with a credit from the World Bank.

The initiative, according to the Ministry, targets to benefit over 280,000 youth between the ages of 18 to 29 years with some components extending the age up to 35 years.

The youth unemployment rate in Kenya doubled this year to 10.4 percent as companies shut operations due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Over 60 percent of the disabled and vulnerable youth are unemployed compared to their non-disabled and vulnerable peers, according to the Global Disability Rights Now Kenya.

“Unemployment challenges adversely affect the vulnerable and under-served youth as they are excluded from participating and benefiting from the mainstream employment interventions. They also face obstacles that are unique to their environments such as stigmatization and misconceptions, sole childcare responsibilities, lack of mentorship, and limited access to adaptive learning,” said Nadia

“Ultimate beneficiaries of FutureBora will be vulnerable youth who are jobless and have experienced extended spells of unemployment. Organizations to participate in the initiative will be selected from various counties in the urban and rural areas of Kenya,” said Julius Korir, Principal Secretary, State Department for Youth at the Ministry of ICT.