August 2026 Photo of the Month: Celebrating Youth
Our monthly photo series highlights the beauty and emotion in the lives of our clients around the world. In honor of International Youth Day on August 12, we celebrate determined young people who are building the skills and confidence to lead their communities.
This month’s selection of images captures the energy and resilience of the next generation. We see students in Puerto Rico revitalizing their island’s coffee heritage, a woodworker in El Salvador fostering a new culture of leadership, and a young entrepreneur in Ghana transforming the local rice industry.
At TechnoServe, we believe that when young people gain access to the right tools and training, they build businesses and create lasting change. Explore these stories of growth and potential, and vote for the photo that inspires you most!
PHOTO 1:
Arturo Landaverde, a woodworker, furniture builder, and designer, started his entrepreneurial journey in San Salvador, El Salvador. At age 23, he bought his first machine to build canvases for local artists. Ten years later, he is a thriving entrepreneur leading a team of 10 people (ages 22 to 33) to build custom furnishings for offices and residences. His initial motivation to start his own business originated from seeing his older sisters struggle to find jobs despite their college education.
“If I don’t start building my own business, I will probably end up struggling too,” Arturo realized. At first, he lacked the tools and vision to determine what to do next. And then Arturo joined Crece tu Empresa in 2017. The program focused on supporting young entrepreneurs through business training and personalized mentorship, helping them develop a business model to grow their businesses. As Arturo started the entrepreneurship curriculum, it helped him develop his leadership skills. He understood that he needed help to continue developing and growing his business.
PHOTO 2:
Young students in Puerto Rico gained agricultural skills through a comprehensive, hands-on 10-module coffee agronomy program delivered in their schools and led by TechnoServe. The training addressed the critical need to engage youth in agriculture as the island faces a declining and aging farmer population.
Over 900 students across 14 schools participated in the program, which combined classroom learning with practical, hands-on experience. Here, students demonstrate the coffee cultivation techniques and agricultural practices they’ve mastered through the training modules.
PHOTO 3:
Sarah Aidoo is a 31-year-old rice processor, marketer, and distributor based in Kasoa in central Ghana. Like many small business owners, Sarah’s entrepreneurial journey was filled with challenges. Limited capital, inadequate equipment, and the lack of proper branding made it difficult for her business to grow and compete in the market.
Everything began to change when she joined the HAPPY program, funded by the Mastercard Foundation, led by Agri-Impact and implemented by eight consortium partners, including TechnoServe Ghana. Through the program, Sarah received a micro-grant of $1,800 that provided the launching pad to transform her enterprise.
Today, her production has increased significantly, and she is steadily working toward her long-term vision of becoming a full-scale rice miller. She has also employed two more youths to serve as retailers and factory hands as she scales. Sarah’s increased income has enabled her to help her parents care for her younger siblings, who are currently in secondary school. Her success is not only transforming her own livelihood but also improving her family’s well-being and educational opportunities.
Read more International Youth Day stories.
