In 2019, PADF and the Center for Ecuadorian Support (CAJE) identified two issues in the south of the country, 76 percent of youth in the region were unemployed and lacked access to education, coupled with youth disengagement from public affairs. We identified 100 inactive social organizations, due to the lack of trust in public institutions and low level of engagement of youth with social and political issues.
These findings allowed us to seek support from various sectors to create a process for the development of new youth leaders, building new personal skills and strengthening organizations. As a result, a youth plan for the inclusion of youth in the development and implementation of public policies was created. We also helped establish 20 new youth civil society organizations, which now form the Network of Nongovernmental Organizations of the Southern Region, and train 927 youth.
Due to the success of this project, PADF aims to expand the initiative to other regions of Ecuador.
