Enhance Learning Outcomes for Students in Paynesville City

Today access to internet and an enabling learning space are a critical need for enhancing learning, even more so in Liberia where the civil war rolled back institutional, technical and infrastructural capacity for education. The COVID-19 crisis reinforced the need for online learning and access to internet which has made the need even more current and relevant for students and young entrepreneurs and innovators. Access to internet and the cost of internet is a serious challenge for students and young entrepreneurs in Paynesville. Our current office space cannot accommodate the targeted beneficiaries. Nor has it been sufficient for students and small-business owners who visit our office daily to access internet and workspace. This situation continues to affect our work and hinder the learning and development of students and young entrepreneurs. YONER has embarked on an office expansion project, to include a co-working space, internet and technology access lab, etc. According to the Liberian Ministry of Education, 20% of young people ages 15-24 cannot read and write. An individual graduating from high school or college has no guarantee of a job, and getting a job does not guarantee financial security or economic freedom in the immediate or distant future.  Poverty, high levels of illiteracy and poor access and quality of education, means most youth graduate from high school unprepared to go to college or advance themselves professionally to become productive citizens and contribute to a stronger workforce, and/or address societal challenges. This situation worsens further for women, girls and youth who make up the large share of the population

YONER Liberia is seeking US$50,000 from MIT Solve under its “Learning for Civic Action" category to create the first ever youth entrepreneurial education hub in Paynesville City by expanding, upgrading and equipping of our office to accommodate more users including high school and university students(learners) and young entrepreneurs and to enhance and coordinate our operations at a single space. When improved and equipped into a hub, it shall include a co-working, training space, internet and technology access lab, office spaces, multipurpose hall, a canteen, among others. The space shall facilitate students’ and entrepreneurs’ access to learning space and internet for research, assignments, entrepreneur meet-ups and knowledge and experience sharing among young people. Thereby increasing our ability to provide this crucial service to the community. The lack of an enabling learning space and access to internet as well as the cost of internet are serious challenges for students (learners) and young entrepreneurs in Paynesville. While in other parts of the world internet and technology access and access to enabling work space are readily available to students (learners) and young entrepreneurs, Liberia remains an exception. Our current office space cannot accommodate the targeted beneficiaries. This has overtime caused setbacks in youth education and start-ups or businesses. This situation also continues to affect our work and hinder the learning and development of the over 900 high school students and 5,000 college students and young entrepreneurs and innovators within the ecosystem of YONER Liberia in Paynesville City.

To expand the office space of YONER Liberia and scale up youth tech entrepreneurship learning and social business incubation activities in Paynesville City, Liberia.
YONER Liberia has its official seat in Paynesville City. Paynesville is Liberia’s second largest and densely populated City to Monrovia with over 500,000 residents. Youth, as defined by the Liberia National Youth Policy, between the ages 15-35 constitutes over 70% of the total population including high school and University lerners or students and graduates; aspiring and existing young entrepreneurs; at-risks youth (termed “Zogos”), teenage mothers, school drop-outs, sex workers, youth with no formal education. In addition, YONER is working and has huge presence in six of fifteen counties of Liberia including Bong, Grand Bassa, Margibi, Montserrado, Nimba and Rivercess Counties. By its over 15 years long-work, YONER Liberia has directly reached and impacted the lives of over 100,000 youth, students, women, and disadvantaged Liberians and has secured and managed over USD 350,000 in grants and donations. 

YONER Liberia is powered by an engaged group of young volunteers at the early stages of their professional life. In addition, we work with young people interested in a wide range of topics and seeking spaces to grow and develop their potential. We are also a team of educators and social entrepreneurs bringing many years of experience doing volunteer youth work in a challenging context. Our experiences and insights on entrepreneurship and youth mobilization and empowerment are helping to rethink, rework and rewrite Liberia’s narrative.  YONER is a pioneer in the area of youth employment and tech entrepreneurship innovation training in Liberia. YONER has designed and implemented tech entrepreneurship training in partnership with the University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship Program, US Embassy Monrovia and the US Department of State’s Office for Global Innovation Through Science and Technology (GIST) Initiative over the past six years, benefiting over 900 high school students and 5,000 5,000 young people including high school and university students, young entrepreneurs and innovators from Bong, Grand Bassa, Margibi, Montserrado and Nimba Counties.  Hence, we have a capacity and skills to meet the goals of our proposed project.

To expand the office space of YONER Liberia and scale up youth tech entrepreneurship learning and social business incubation activities in Paynesville City, Liberia. YONER seeks to complete the expansion of its office space in Paynesville, to include a co-working space, internet and technology access lab, etc. 

We are looking to scale-up our programs by constructing the first ever youth entrepreneurial education and business incubation hub in Paynesville City, Liberia. At YONER we look to develop localized Hub that is self-sustaining and well-integrated into the local Youth eco-system. Our approach is unique through offering qualified mentorship and learning platforms for ventures and initiatives to be birthed, nurtured, grown and expanded.
The requested funds shall be use for the expansion and upgrading of our space to accommodate more users and activities.  Our solutions will provide the enabling spaces and platforms, providing learning, information and networking opportunities to enhance employability, formal education, job and business development multiple sectors (including agriculture)

We aspire to equip by 2031, 250,000 young people with access to quality higher education, employable entrepreneurial and technological skills and tools; facilitate the commercialization of social business ideas to establish and scale up 100 thriving small and medium size enterprises of young people; and create 10,000 quality jobs.

20% of beneficiaries reach economic self-reliance by 2031

1000 young people accessed international study opportunities by 2031

25% benefiting High School students have established sustainable revenue sources by 2031

65%  benefiting university and college students established sustainable revenue sources by 2031

Our solution prepares young people for the knowledge economy, which creates jobs, boosts and connects the creative and innovation ecosystem in Liberia to other nations and major stakeholders to create more opportunities for young people. We also make young women and men economically self-reliant. 

Impact

YONER Liberia is seeking to strengthen existing support to promote the economic self-reliance and inclusive economic development of Liberian youth.

Outcomes include:

• Promote Quality Education Opportunities and networks for Liberian youth.
• Increasing Employment opportunities for Liberian youth

Promote (Establish frameworks and platforms) Entrepreneurship and Innovation thinking and development among youth.

• Established framework for schools and community to facilitate entrepreneurial development.
• Improved entrepreneurial education hub to accommodate more users, to include co-working space, desk and office spaces, Pitch Theater, multipurpose training hall, and technology and internet access lab and meeting rooms.
• promote entrepreneurial culture in Liberia;
• Increased capacity of beneficiaries in turning ideas into business models and making success sales pitches and creating successful prototypes.

Output includes:

• Facilitate access to international study programs, youth entrepreneurship and technological networking opportunities.
• Establish and run high school and university entrepreneurship programs

• Establish and run sustainable business development lab
•  Host and facilitate Strategic mentorship and growth sessions for entrepreneurs.

Our work focuses on Youth Empowerment - Employment and Capacity Development, workforce development through high school and university Entrepreneurship (social business models development, business plan development, budgeting and sale pitches and business start-up support) programs. We leverage Technology Innovation through basic and advanced computer  skills including internet browsing, email set-up and emailing and use of social media platforms (WhatsApp, facebook, LinkedIn, Zoom, Instagram, Google Doc, Skype).

YONER, a youth- focused, youth-led and intergenerationally-led nonprofit, we strongly consider diversity, equity and inclusion as integral part of our work in Liberia and beyond. We recognize and respect the dignity of the human person regardless of background, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, tribe and color. In Liberia, we have 15 counties and 16 ethnic groups with different beliefs, cultures and conditions and these unique values and differences should serve as strengthens for a united community and world for everyone to strive, live and realize his or her full human potentials. We have worked with and supported former child soldiers, now youth, at-risk youth (zogos), orphans, students and people with different sexual habits among others. In addition, YONER’s obtains stakeholders’ buy-in by involving them at the development, implementation and completion phases of its projects/programs. We develop our projects using stakeholders’ input and resources known and already available to them. Our approach provides a platform to listen and solicit the views of direct and indirect participants/beneficiaries which inform us in the design of the project that meets their approval, time and support.

We will offer customized entrepreneurial skills training (including basic and advance computer training) for a small fee per participant. Our facilities will also be hired out for a small fee to local agencies to host events and training workshops. At YONER we look to develop localized Hub that is self-sustaining and well-integrated into the local Youth eco-system. Our approach is unique through offering qualified mentorship and learning platforms for ventures and initiatives to be birthed, nurtured, grown and expanded. This funding shall also boost the technical and Institutional capacity of YONER Liberia, especially as a self-sustaining nonprofit. Since the workspace is also integrated into YONER Liberia’s other programs and therefore is able to make impact beyond this project. Additionally, all investments made to the property, which is owned by YONER Liberia, serve to sustain the operations of YONER Liberia and its services to the community in the long-term.

With the direct monetary investment, YONER would increase the social and economic gains for beneficiaries.  This investment shall stabilize YONER as a nonprofit providing a locally equip space for young people to increase their access to higher education, as part of other YONER’s flagship programs, while increasing the financial self-reliance of young people through sustainable entrepreneurship and employment opportunities and support. In addition, we will offer customized entrepreneurial skills training (including basic and advance computer training) for a small fee per participant. Our facilities will also be hired out for a small fee to local agencies to host events and training workshops.

1. USAID Youth Advance Activity: Valued at US$64,810. This a one-year (March-2023-March 2024) project that targets university and community college senior level or graduating university students aged 15-35 who are approaching college graduation and or unemployed graduates. The project aims to run digital literacy and financial literacy programs and facilitates on the-job training and work-based learning, distance learning to enhance skills, and job intermediation services. It shall also facilitate leadership trainings and activities and shall provide a platform for youth in this category to join the Liberia Youth Volunteer Corps as mentors for other young people. 

2. USAID Liberia Agribusiness Incubator: valued at US$1.9M. This is a three-year (2023-2026) project and shall be implemented in partnership with two other youth and local community entrepreneurial driven organizations (SMART Liberia and TRIBE) based in Monrovia. The Consortium, through its proposed Monrovia Agri-Startup School, will recruit, train and deploy 30 market-ready entrepreneurs and ventures into the market along the agricultural value chain.

 3. 2017, YONER received nearly US$24,000 from the US Embassy Monrovia and successfully designed and piloted the Liberia High School Entrepreneurship Program. With the initial investment, we were able to continue the high school entrepreneurship program and had successfully implemented five editions and trained and supported 800 high school students from 50 high schools in entrepreneurship and social business model development and hosted 5 editions of pitch competitions, and 20% of these businesses expanded across the agribusiness, African fashion, and design sectors with established customer and sales channels. , Through local community support and involvement we are currently implementing the sixth edition of the High School Entrepreneurship program training 102 high school students from 10 high schools from across Paynesville.

4. In 2018, YONER also received nearly US$30,000 from the US Department of State’s Office for GIST Initiative and the US Embassy Monrovia and a host of local stakeholders and successfully designed and piloted the ‘Liberia Entrepreneurship Academy for high school graduates and college/university students. The aimed at promoting the economic self-reliance and inclusive economic development of young women and men in Liberia. The Academy recruits and trains high school graduates and college/university. Through the venture café model, and partnering with local Universities and community colleges, the Academy will provide students, over a period of 7 months, requisite skills and knowledge to conceptualize, design, test, launch and grow their social and business ventures into sustainable income-generating initiatives for self-sufficiency. With the initial investment, the Project has trained 100 university and community college students trained in Tech Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprising for nine months; 69 trainees completed and received Diplomas in Tech Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprising and seen more than 20% of these businesses expand.