For Immediate Release
Press Release
Kinshasa, DRC – Today, the United States government (USG), through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), launched a new project entitled “USAID Métiers Inclusifs” (USAID Inclusive Trades). USAID worked with DRC local youth representatives to design this project to respond to livelihood challenges facing marginalized and underrepresented Congolese young people in the urban areas of Kinshasa, Matadi, and Kalemie. This five-year USAID project will benefit nearly 30,000 adolescent girls, single mothers, youth with disabilities, and sexual violence survivors.
USAID Métiers Inclusifs aims to serve the targeted populations through a holistic process, helping them acquire relevant skills, including professional and personal skills. USAID will include short-term modules that allow for flexible career paths. USAID also focuses on establishing healthy professional and personal relationships and providing access to sexual and reproductive health services to adolescents. By doing so, USAID Métiers Inclusifs aims to prepare them to participate in and create inclusive workforce opportunities.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) will implement USAID Métiers Inclusifs together with a consortium including local partners Bureau Diocésain des Oeuvres Médicales Kinshasa, Collectif Alpha Ujuvi, Congo Handicap, Caritas Développement Kalemie and Caritas Développement Matadi, and international partners Swisscontact and Corus. Their deep understanding of the local context will allow for meaningful collaboration with a range of stakeholders.
About USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the world's premier international development agency and a catalytic actor driving development results. USAID works to help lift lives, build communities, and advance democracy. USAID's work demonstrates American generosity and promotes a path to recipient self-reliance and resilience. President John. F. Kennedy created the United States Agency for International Development by executive order in 1961 to lead the U.S. government’s international development and humanitarian efforts.