The Challenge

Every year, faced with a lack of prospects, young Senegalese people risk their lives migrating to Europe in search of a better life.

With 38.5 % of the population living below the poverty line and 75% of families suffering from chronic poverty, many don’t see any alternative to secure a better future for themselves and their families.

33% of youth aged 15-25 are not in employment, education or training. 60% of young people aged 15-35 are currently unemployed. While 300,000 young people join the Senegalese labour market every year, 62% of young people aged 15-24 (1.9 million people) do not complete primary school, and enter the job market without any skills or qualifications.

Persisting barriers

At the grassroots level however, vulnerable young people including school drop-outs, girls, children in street situations, and talibes (Koranic pupils) still struggle to benefit from these initiatives. Many obstacles persist preventing fair and sustainable access: they still target the well-educated, are limited to local and/or  time-bound projects and don’t provide the extra social and financial support needed.

Projects targeting the vulnerable are mainly punctual and fail to bring about lasting change. If some good practices are being developed, many projects rely on civil society instead of strengthening government services. The lack of coordination and collaboration means that many lessons are lost and potential synergies missed. The absence of a systemic approach to tackling the issue means that solutions are short term and ad hoc.