Standard Chartered Foundation and UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited partner to secure 750 jobs for young women
Supporting women in Kenya to gain skills, mentorship and opportunities
December 9, Kenya – The Standard Chartered Foundation (the Foundation) and UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited (UNICEF GenU) have today announced a partnership to help secure 750 decent jobs for young women in Kenya. The investment by Standard Chartered Foundation worth KES 97.5 million, aims to address both the supply and demand side of the job market.
The three-year partnership will focus exclusively on women aged 18-24 from under-served backgrounds and will support UNICEF GenU’s dynamic and expanding ecosystem of global and local partners, which is a public-private approach that has already made significant strides in skills training for young people. The partnership builds on this successful work by selecting participants from the existing pool of talent that have come through UNICEF GenU’s skills training initiatives, prioritising support to help young women secure decent work*.
UNICEF will work closely with local job placement experts to connect young women with employment opportunities in the private sector. Additionally, UNICEF will support collaborations with local government initiatives to explore pathways to jobs which are based on local needs.
Kariuki Ngari, Standard Chartered Kenya CEO, said: “This partnership reflects our strategic commitment to unlocking economic opportunity for young people through decent employment. By combining UNICEF’s extensive skilling ecosystem with our employability ambition focusing on work readiness and vocational training, we are building a model that connects talent and training to real jobs. Securing decent work opportunities is our foundation to strengthening local economies, deepen private sector participation, and foster long-term, inclusive growth.”
Shaheen Nilofer, UNICEF Kenya Representative, said: “UNICEF Kenya is proud to partner with the Standard Chartered Foundation to support young women gain access to skilling and decent work opportunities. This initiative complements the ‘National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement’ (NYOTA) programme recently launched by the Government of Kenya with support from the World Bank which aims to tackle youth unemployment in the country for the next five years.”
ENDS
* Decent work is based on the International Labour Organization definition: Participants must be paid at or over minimum wage, have a safe working environment, and meet any one of the following additional criteria: formal contract; stable working conditions (decent working hours); social security (worker welfare/safety nets)
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About UNICEF
UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, works to protect the rights of every child, everywhere, especially the most disadvantaged children and in the toughest places to reach. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive, and fulfil their potential.
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org.
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About Generation Unlimited
Launched by the UN Secretary-General at the 2018 UN General Assembly, Generation Unlimited is a leading global Public-Private-Youth Partnership on a mission to skill and connect the world’s 1.8 billion young people to opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship, and social impact. Anchored in UNICEF, the partnership brings together global organizations and leaders including Heads of State, CEOs, Heads of UN agencies, and civil society champions with young people to co-create and deliver innovative solutions on a global scale. Visit us at generationunlimited.org
About Standard Chartered Foundation
The Standard Chartered Foundation is a charitable organisation established by Standard Chartered in 2019. It is committed to helping tackle inequality by empowering under-served young people, especially women and people with disabilities. It sets the strategy for - and funds - youth employability and entrepreneurship programmes across Standard Chartered’s markets, helping young people access the skills, networks and support they need to secure decent work and create jobs. The Standard Chartered Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1184946). See the website for more information: The Standard Chartered Foundation
About Standard Chartered
We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 54 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.
Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges.
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