Resourcing for Adolescents and Youth in Africa

In order to address the ongoing challenges with differently-abled adolescents, it is important to rethink the way we resource and design interventions to support them. However, despite their importance and existence, many adolescents and young persons, mostly disabled struggle to secure adequate resources to meet their basic human needs and rights. This is often due to a lack of recognition of their value as human beings, as well as systemic barriers to funding and support. As a result, this particular group is often underfunded and under-resourced, which limits their ability to effectively serve their communities and achieve their goals.

To address this issue, it is important to adopt a new approach towards engaging with and supporting adolescents and youth. This must begin with shifting decision-making power to them, recognition of the value of their work, and a commitment to supporting them in a sustainable and equitable manner. Our programming model ensures that adolescent social support interventions are able to secure funding for five years uninterrupted by channelling resources to them directly. Social Health Space Africa will focus on providing training and support in areas such as health, financial management, advocacy, and strategic planning for adolescents and Youth

Importantly, we will support disabled adolescents and young person’s so that they’re fully integrated into broader health systems and gender justice initiatives. This means engaging with them as partners and providing opportunities for them to have a voice in the decision-making process.