Strengthening Rural Youth Development through Enterprise

TechnoServe and The MasterCard Foundation are partnering on an $11.5 million, four-year program to help rural young women and men in East Africa transition to economic independence.

The Strengthening Rural Youth Development through Enterprise (STRYDE) program will deliver a comprehensive package of services such as skills training, business development and mentoring to young people ages 18 to 30 in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The program aims to equip 15,000 rural youth with the skills and knowledge to capitalize on economic opportunities and increase their incomes.  As a result, the program plans to indirectly benefit more than 67,000 family members.

Youth unemployment is a major problem in the three target countries, especially in rural areas. Many young people see farming as a last resort, and formal employment is difficult to find. Growing numbers of rural youth are migrating to urban areas. Those who stay often lack the skills and knowledge to capitalize on the opportunities available to them.

STRYDE draws on TechnoServe’s experience in both developing agricultural industries and promoting entrepreneurship. Agriculture in East Africa is a significant and growing sector of the economy and has the potential to create sustainable employment and income opportunities both on- and off-farm. Through this program, young people will learn about these opportunities and gain the market-ready skills to benefit from this demand.

Participants in this program  will take part in a three-month training program to develop life, entrepreneurship and career skills, and they will receive an additional nine months of mentorship and counseling from a youth trainer. Participants also will gain practical business exposure through an experiential business exercise. Young women and men will have the opportunity to participate in program-sponsored business plan competitions and local job fairs featuring community businesses. The knowledge they gain from STRYDE will help them to identify the best economic opportunity for their skills and interests.

About The MasterCard Foundation

The MasterCard Foundation advances microfinance and youth learning to promote financial inclusion and prosperity. Through collaboration with committed partners in 48 countries, The MasterCard Foundation is helping people living in poverty to access opportunities to learn and prosper. An independent, private foundation based in Toronto, Canada, the Foundation was established through the generosity of MasterCard Worldwide at the time of the company’s initial public offering in 2006. www.themastercardfdn.org