Project Objective:

To create sustainable livelihood opportunities, enhance economic recovery, and foster community resilience by supporting and capacity-building micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the renewable energy sector, thereby generating income, facilitating local access to clean energy services, and promoting climate change adaptation.

Project Duration: 7 months and 10 days (Inception workshops and field operations officially commenced in mid-July 2024).

Target Audience: 500 conflict-affected youth, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and host community members (both males and females), aimed at enhancing their technical and entrepreneurial skills to establish 250 green startups.

Target Geographic Areas: 10 districts across 5 key governorates: Lahj (Al-Maqatirah, Al-Mudharabah), Taiz (Al-Maafer), Abyan (Ahwar), Hajja (Bani Al-Awam, Ash-Shaghadirah, Najrah), and Al-Mahwit (At-Tawilah, Milhan).

Implementing: Youth Leadership Development Foundation (YLDF).

Partner & Donor: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), co-funded by the European Union and the Government of Sweden.

Project Detailed:

Amidst the exceptional and highly complex socio-economic and developmental challenges facing Yemen, the Youth Leadership Development Foundation (YLDF) has successfully driven a radical and qualitative shift through the triumphant conclusion of its pioneering project, "Economic Empowerment through Decentralized Renewable Energy Innovations and Solutions for Job Creation, Environmental Protection, Climate Security, and Livelihood Improvement." Launched as an integral component of the “Supporting Resilient Livelihoods, Food Security, and Climate Adaptation Joint Programme in Yemen (ERRYIII),” this pivotal intervention was strategically designed in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and generously co-funded by the European Union and the Government of Sweden. The initiative boldly bypassed traditional, short-term humanitarian relief models, effectively transitioning local communities toward self-reliance and long-term economic resilience.

The operational blueprint of this strategic project, spanning a strict implementation window of seven months and ten days, kicked off in mid-July 2024. It commenced with extensive, high-profile inception workshops that garnered significant official and community momentum, engaging local authorities and key stakeholders across five vital Yemeni governorates. From that milestone onward, the field teams charted an ambitious path to reach ten remote, rural districts facing complex logistical and environmental challenges. Geographically, the intervention spanned Al-Maqatirah and Al-Mudharabah districts in Lahj, Al-Maafer district in Taiz, and Ahwar district in Abyan, expanding northward to cover Bani Al-Awam, Ash-Shaghadirah, and Najrah districts in Hajja, alongside At-Tawilah and Milhan districts in Al-Mahwit. Within these target areas, the project focused intensively on a core demographic of 500 conflict-affected youth, IDPs, and host community members, systematically engineering a promising green jobs sector built entirely on clean energy innovations.

The project’s extraordinary impact lies in the meticulous execution of its field indicators and their alignment with actual market demands. The capacity-building track commenced with a rigorous, 15-day technical and vocational training program. The initial phase focused on advanced techniques for installing and maintaining solar energy systems and decentralized green solutions. Moving beyond mere technical training, the program incorporated an advanced business development module designed to empower participants to transform their technical know-how into viable, scalable investment plans. This comprehensive approach successfully built the capacities of 316 direct beneficiaries (232 males and 84 females), marking a remarkable 36% gender integration rate in a highly specialized and challenging rural technical sector.

Crucially, the classroom training served as a direct operational bridge to tangible financing and real-world production. All business plans submitted by the graduates underwent a stringent evaluation process managed by independent technical committees to ensure economic viability and market diversification. This transparent process culminated in the selection and endorsement of the first 60 sustainable startups in the southern governorates, benefiting 103 individuals and achieving a flawless 50% gender balance (50 young women and 53 young men). Each approved enterprise received a direct seed grant of $1,000, dedicated entirely to procuring technical assets and production machinery. To secure the long-term viability and growth of these startups, YLDF simultaneously deployed a continuous digital mentorship and business coaching system led by expert business consultants to guide these nascent entrepreneurs through early market challenges.

The crowning innovative and historic breakthrough of this intervention, - setting a new benchmark for renewable energy projects in Yemen- was the successful establishment of the region's first-ever sesame oil mill powered entirely by decentralized solar energy in the Ahwar district of Abyan. This extraordinary achievement revolutionized local livelihoods and climate adaptation; the young beneficiaries successfully leveraged green technology to revive a deeply rooted traditional craft, liberating it completely from the crippling burden of skyrocketing fuel costs and chronic fuel shortages.

Through this brilliant, field-tested model, the Youth Leadership Development Foundation has delivered undeniable proof to the international community and donors alike that targeted investments in youth, when paired with professional planning and innovative environmental solutions, can build a resilient local economy, secure sustainable food sources, and unlock endless horizons for green jobs that actively shape the future of recovery in rural Yemen.