Africa is home to nearly one-third of the world’s refugees and displaced persons.

Girl Child Africa Foundation seeks to enable 30 million young people, including 2.5 million refugees and displaced persons (RDPs), 70% of whom are young women, to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030 as part of the Young Africa Works strategy.

Our approach is underpinned by the belief that young RDPs, especially young women, can secure dignified and fulfilling work when they have access to quality education, inclusive transition pathways, and supportive policies.

Everyone – regardless of their status – deserves the opportunity to learn, work, and thrive.

At the GCAF, we believe inclusion isn’t optional - it’s essential. Refugees and forcibly displaced persons (RDPs) are not just vulnerable populations; they are motivated leaders, talented innovators, and ambitious contributors. When given access to quality education, dignified work, and community support, they help build stronger, more resilient societies.

The strategy is based on three interconnected pillars

• Secondary Education: Expanding access to, retention in, and the holistic quality of secondary education for displaced youth, with a focus on girls and young women.

• Transitions to Work: Strengthening and scaling pathways that connect young people to employment, entrepreneurship opportunities, and tertiary education.

• Policy Implementation: Supporting policy implementation and systems change that allow RDPs to build self-reliant, sustainable futures.

How do we address the displacement crisis? Let’s start by partnering with those who are affected

In Africa — where 44 million people are displaced — every issue is, de facto, a youth issue, given that 70 percent of the population is under the age of 30. Meanwhile, with Africa getting younger and younger in an aging world, and one in four people worldwide set to be African by 2050, African youth have a significant stake and leadership to offer in all global issues.

How We Will Reach Our Goal

• Expanding Foundation programs in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia, where the Foundation is implementing the Young Africa Works strategy. These programs will support refugees and displaced persons as well as their host communities.
• Expanding access to skills and entrepreneurship. These programs, implemented by Foundation partners, including UNHCR, Inkomoko and the Amahoro Coalition, seeks to develop skills, transition young refugees and displaced persons into employment or entrepreneurship, and engage the private sector.
• Enabling refugee-led organizations, as they are trusted by their communities and are already working on innovative solutions. For example, the Foundation is partnering with the Youth Initiative for Development in Africa to provide early childhood education and skills-building to young refugees and host communities in the Kyaka II settlement in Uganda.
• Expanding access to skills and entrepreneurship. These programs, implemented by Foundation partners, including UNHCR, Inkomoko and the Amahoro Coalition, seeks to develop skills, transition young refugees and displaced persons into employment or entrepreneurship, and engage the private sector.
• Expanding access to higher education. In 2019, the Foundation set a target for 25 percent of students recruited into the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program to be refugees and displaced persons. The Foundation also funds the African Higher Education in Emergencies Network (AHEEN) to support access for these young people to accredited higher education institutions.