YOUTH IN IRAQ
PROVINCES
Nationwide
LIFE OF ACTIVITY
Ongoing from 2003
OVERVIEW
Over two-thirds of Iraq’s population are under the age of 25. USAID provides social and economic opportunities to help Iraqi youth play more active roles in their communities and contribute to making Iraq a more prosperous and stable country.
GOALS
USAID provides youth with training programs to build professional and soft skills to become competitive job candidates or start their own business.
USAID offers business coaching, financial support, and equipment to help youth-led startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) become competitive and create jobs.
Through social cohesion programming, USAID brings together youth from different backgrounds to work together on meaningful community-oriented projects.
USAID builds stronger connections between youth groups and local government entities through collaborative, community-based projects that address citizens’ concerns and hold political leaders accountable.
IMPACT
- USAID invested in 18 youth-owned businesses and helped sustain more than 1,300 jobs, the majority held by youth.
- Since 2020, USAID has supported the creation of over 5,600 jobs, youth having made up almost 50 percent of participants.
- USAID provided vocational training for 150 youth on installing and maintaining solar energy systems during 2023.
- Between May 2021 and October 2023, USAID helped train 1,150 youth in the Ninewa Plain and Kirkuk with leadership and other skills to bring about positive change in their communities.
- In 2022 and 2023, USAID trained more than 480 youth in soft skills, 460 in filmmaking, and 310 in basic foundational skills through 50 different workshops.
- From May 2021 to October 2023, USAID provided classes to nearly 800 Yezidi youth and children on preserving their cultural heritage through film and documenting artifacts.
- Between 2020 and 2023, USAID supported over 80 community- based projects led by nearly 7,000 youth volunteers.
