Equipping out-of-school youth and adults in Rhino Camp with the entrepreneurship, business, and workforce skills they need to build sustainable livelihoods — bridging the gap between education and economic opportunity for those the formal system has left behind.
Not every young person in Rhino Camp is in school. Some dropped out due to economic pressure. Some were never enrolled. Some are too old for the formal system but too young — and too capable — to be written off. For these young people and the adults around them, the question is not how to get back into a classroom but how to build a livelihood with the knowledge, skills, and networks available to them now. The answer requires a different kind of education — one that is practical, market-relevant, and designed for people who are already navigating the economic realities of the settlement.
The Bridge Youth and Adult Workforce — YAW — programme provides exactly that. Operating under the Under the Bridge Project and funded by the Mastercard Foundation, YAW equips out-of-school youth and adults with business skills, entrepreneurship knowledge, and workforce competencies that can be immediately applied to generate income. 390 youth have been empowered with business skills through the programme, alongside 75 mothers who received targeted training that connects their children's education journey with their own economic empowerment.
The dual focus on youth and mothers is deliberate. Mothers are among the most influential decision-makers in whether children — particularly girls — stay in school. By investing in mothers' own economic capabilities alongside the education of their children, YAW creates households where education and livelihoods reinforce rather than compete with each other. A mother with income and business skills is more likely to keep her daughter in school. A young person with business skills is more likely to be able to support younger siblings to continue their education. This intergenerational design multiplies the programme's impact.
390 out-of-school youth were equipped with practical business skills covering financial management, customer relations, pricing, record-keeping, and business planning. The training was designed for the informal economy context of Rhino Camp — practical, applicable, and grounded in the real market conditions participants face. Youth who complete the programme have the knowledge foundation to start and manage small enterprises, access savings groups, and gradually formalise their economic activities.
Beyond basic business skills, the YAW programme builds entrepreneurial thinking — helping participants identify opportunities, develop ideas, assess risks, and plan for growth. Entrepreneurship training emphasises the innovative potential within displacement communities, building the confidence and creative problem-solving capacity that allows young people to see economic possibilities where others see only constraint. This mindset shift is as valuable as the technical skills that accompany it.
75 mothers received targeted business skills training as part of the Mother-to-Mother network that runs alongside the Bridge Project's school-based activities. The mothers' programme recognises that household economic security is foundational to children's education — a mother who understands basic financial management, can generate income, and participates in a VSLA savings group is better placed to keep her children in school, cover school costs, and advocate for her daughter's continued education within the household.
The YAW curriculum also covers workforce competencies — the practical skills and professional behaviours that enable young people to participate effectively in formal and semi-formal employment, whether as employees or as self-employed service providers. These competencies include communication, time management, teamwork, and the ability to navigate customer and employer relationships — skills that complement technical vocational training and significantly improve employability outcomes for graduates.
YAW connects graduates to local market opportunities, savings and lending groups, and peer networks of fellow young entrepreneurs within the settlement. These connections reduce the isolation common among newly self-employed youth, create accountability and mutual support structures, and open pathways to markets, suppliers, and services that individual graduates would struggle to access alone. Peer networks are one of the most durable assets the programme creates — continuing to support graduates long after the formal training period ends.
Out-of-school youth empowered with business and entrepreneurship skills
Mothers trained in business skills alongside their children's education
Total participants empowered across the YAW programme
Target groups — youth and mothers — for intergenerational economic impact