The focus of the project will be for youth to actively participate in improving education and health outcomes for youth and children, by enhancing awareness and recognition of youth and child rights, particularly as regards education and health, and increasing mainstreaming and prioritization of, as well as funding for, improved youth and child education and health services.
The project will aim to increase youth leadership through collective and coordinative youth focus groups at the national, provincial, district and community level to influence national and sub-national policies to ensure these reflect child and youth issues.
Through national NGO partners and youth representatives the project will mobilize and train youth focus groups on child and youth rights, advocacy and campaigning, budget tracking and monitoring.
Provincial youth focus groups will be established or strengthened in each of the 4 target provinces.
To strengthen improved linkages between youth groups in Afghanistan and in the region, the project will facilitate national and international linking and learning between NGOs and youth organizations to support the policy and practice changes and improvements advocated by youth in Afghanistan.
With the youth focus groups the project will support improved linkages and active learning between youth. The project will also contribute to ensure that government institutions, donors, civil society, and the elders and parents recognize the rights of youth and children and allow them to participate effectively, including through youth trainers and entrepreneurs, community awareness raising sessions, the participation of youth and national NGOs in national education and health campaigns and a strong focus on media linkages. This will be the foundation for supporting youth and children to demand and have greater access to public health, education and employment services.
To ensure that awareness raising and stronger youth organisations are able to also yield actual change, the project will work with partners and youth, as well as the government, to ensure that youth and child rights are better mainstreamed and prioritized in national, sector and ministerial policies and that budget allocations for youth and child health, education and employment are significantly increased. This will include advocating with national ministries to develop legally binding instruments and improved mechanisms to ensure youth participation and the realization of youth and child rights. The foundation for successful implementation of the project will be strong partnerships with national NGOs, including by ensuring that partners and civil society organisations at large develop stronger awareness and knowledge of child and youth right issues and improved networks between them, locally, nationally and with international partners.
