The project will run for six months and will implement activities revolving around strengthening youth resilience and enhancing equitable socio-economic empowerment that breaks the cycle of poverty and dependency for youth in Siaya County by empowering the youth to take part in public discourse and be part to key decision making processes affecting their lives and that of their communities. The project also aims to improve the economic capacity of target youth by providing alternative livelihood opportunities through increased access to market, business finance and entrepreneurship skills. The project will support the establishment and capacity building of 12 legitimate youth groups in order to provide an effective platform for participation, engagement and articulation of youth interests in governance processes.

(Expected) Results: The project is expected to:

• Increase understanding and youth participation on the goal of enhancing youth participation in governance and social economic development

• Structure partnership between CREGD and tertiary institutions and/or youth polytechnics and increase knowledge among participants on group dynamics, entrepreneurship and HRBA

• Increase knowledge on project fund-raising, improve level of group sustainability, provide easy access to vital information by the youth and increase synergy in project implementation

• Enhance collaboration among stakeholders in the implementation of enhancing youth participation in governance and social economic development.

• Increase number of legitimate youth groups focussing on issues of governance and social economic development and increase partnership and support for capacity building of youths in areas of social economic and skills development.

• Create new linkages between the youth groups and micro-finance institutions and government agencies