RAGCED is involved in three different ways with Youth Services. The first involves vocational training. Of all the different areas in which RAGCED helps Rotary Clubs with global grants, vocational training is one of the largest. Without a doubt, one of the very best ways to alleviate poverty is by creating good jobs. Unfortunately, in too many parts of the world, the job prospects for young people are bleak. The best thing Rotarians can do is to help young people gain valuable vocational skills that can be used in work. Recently, RAGCED was involved in the creation of the new Rotary Fellowship for IT Professionals. A key objective of this new Fellowship is to do projects that help young people gain IT skills.

 

A second way that RAGCED is involved with Youth is through Rotary Foundation Global Grant Scholarships. These are scholarships provided to university graduates to pursue graduate level study in one of the Rotary Foundation’s seven areas of focus. Naturally, RAGCED is focused on scholarships in the Community Economic Development area of focus. The lives of scholarship recipients are, without doubt, transformed by the experience.

 

A third way that RAGCED is involved with youth is through microfinance, particularly in village savings groups. Quite often, microfinance funds are used by families to pay for schooling. Families lack the funds to educate their children, so funds are borrowed to pay for education. To the extent we can expand funding for microfinance, particularly for village savings groups, educational opportunities for children will likely increase. RAGCED is working with World Vision to obtain a Rotary Foundation global grant to help fund village savings groups in rural Uganda. Without a doubt, much of that money will be lent out to families with limited opportunities to afford school tuition. Village savings groups should increase those opportunities.