Context: With a gross enrolment rate in secondary education of 82.5 per cent, a substantial share of Indonesian youth are not in secondary education; this is especially the case with regard to rural areas. High rates of youth unemployment and multiple barriers young people face in starting their own business are other issues of concern.
Implementation of programme/ initiative: The YCAB Foundation (Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa) or “Loving The Nation’s Children Foundation” empowers youth through a holistic approach that includes a focus on health, learning, development, entrepreneurship and employment. Healthy Lifestyle Promotion (HeLP) aims to prevent risky behaviour, including that related to drug use and HIV/AIDS, through education about how to adopt a positive lifestyle. House of Learning and Development (HoLD) offers affordable education for underprivileged youth and school dropouts, including basic education and skill advancement and English literacy courses. Hands-on Operation for Entrepreneurship/Economic (HOpE), helps graduates find jobs and start businesses by providing entrepreneurship training and seed capital. The second part of HOpE is the provision of capital to mothers to run small businesses contingent on their child staying in school. The YCAB Foundation sustains its work financially through funding from corporate partnerships, revenue from social enterprises and donations.
Main challenges: Challenges the YCAB Foundation has faced in the past include learning how to move from being an implementer of projects to an enabler of other likeminded organizations. Creating an innovative organizational culture was a challenge the foundation tackled in 2014 by initiating an internal communication channel to increase creativity and sharing of ideas across divisions. Previously, their business units made minimal contributions to the working budget, which was changed by utilizing a social investment approach and increasing partnerships.
Results achieved: The Foundation operates in 77 cities across 26 provinces in Indonesia and started projects internationally in 2013 in Afghanistan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Uganda. In 2016, it was ranked number 49 out of 500 by NGO Advisor-Geneva. As a testament to the Foundation’s wide recognition, it was granted United Nations ECOSOC Special Consultative Status. As of 2015, the YCAB Foundation has helped empower and educate over 3 million young people. 73 per cent of graduates from one of YCAB’s main programmes secure employment.
Moving Forward: The Foundation aims to reach 5 million youth by 2020; this will require expansion into more cities and rural communities in Indonesia. Between 2015 and 2020 the YCAB Foundation plans to broaden operations to other South-East Asian countries, including Cambodia, Lao PDR, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam. While working in other ASEAN countries, the Foundation hopes to find similar organizations with which it can exchange good practices and experiences.
Replicability: The YCAB Foundation’s use of conditional cash transfers illustrates how such a programme can empower both mothers and youth as well as ensure long term sustainability. The Foundation’s investment in efficient management systems and a positive office culture has contributed greatly to its success. Lastly, the integration of health, education and employment has created a mutually enforcing virtuous cycle.
References:
www.ycabfoundation.org
Project Details
Date: September 22, 2016