Youth unemployment and underemployment in rural Zambia remain major structural challenges. For young people aged 15 to 24 who leave formal schooling without tertiary qualifications, opportunities to earn a dignified living are exceedingly scarce.
MCDA's GOLAH Goat and Chicken Project tackles this challenge by combining practical livestock management with financial literacy and village savings associations.
Young participants receive breeding stock along with training in shelter construction, disease management, and rotational feeding. As the animals reproduce, offspring are passed on to the next cohort of youth in the village, creating a self-expanding cycle of community empowerment.
Coupled with training in climate-smart vegetable gardening and micro-enterprise management, the initiative has enabled hundreds of young men and women to generate reliable income, contribute to household food security, and invest in their siblings' education.