UN-Habitat has awarded grants from its new Opportunities Fund for Urban Youth-led Development to 67 projects proposed by young people from across the globe.
The winning projects will be celebrated in Washington, D.C. at the World Habitat Day festivities on 5 October, 2009.
Many of the ideas are aimed at alleviating poverty, improving employment prospects, education, the environment, health and safety.
Examples include a Kenyan environmental group recycling plastic waste, a Nigerian HIV/AIDS counseling project for young mothers and sex workers, a Palestinian group dedicated to computer and media training as a platform showcasing human rights, and a Pakistani literacy, job and lifestyle skills development programme.
UN-Habitat received 1,116 grant applications from 86 countries. Sixty-seven were selected from 33 countries, with Kenya, India, Pakistan and Cameroon generating the greatest number of successful applicants.
The Opportunities Fund for Urban Youth-led Development has been set up to support urban based youth-led organisations in developing countries who are working to improve the living conditions of their communities. It was established with funding from Norway, which will provide $1 million annually towards the Fund.
The Fund will give grants between $5,000 and $25,000 to organisations led by young people, aged 15-32 years.
Of some one billion slum dwellers in the world today, it is estimated that more than 70 percent are under 30. These young people have few resources available to improve their own living environments.
For more about this story, please visit the UN-Habitat website.
For more about World Habitat Day 2009 click here
