PROSPECTS used Employment-Intensive Investment Programmes (EIIP) to construct water and milk storage facilities to improve livestock rearing and milk production, while also building capacities building and providing local employment opportunities.

In 2019, in the Fanfan Zone of  Somali Regional State and Jigjiga, PROSPECTS extended the EIIP approach followed as part of a wider value-chain development programme. This extended approach focused on enhancing the livelihoods and added value of livestock-rearing and milk production. After an assessment of challenges and bottlenecks in the value chain, animal health and milk productivity were identified as areas of focus. A key issue within these was water access during dry seasons, which is a major determinant of both the quality and quantity of milk produced. 

Because the EIIP approach was new in these areas, the intervention included a period of capacity-building and awareness-raising around the EIIP approach, involving district-level officials, private sector contractors and workers. PROSPECTS collaborated with the Bureau of Pastoralist Development and local administrators on such issues as land acquisition, community mobilization and handover to the local community at the end of the EIIP. The Bureau was also overseeing work as part of the wider value-chain development programme and so could advise based on a wider objective to develop the market.

To address the issue of water scarcity in dry seasons, two detention ponds were constructed using do-nou technology, a Japanese method that uses gunny bags filled with sand or soil and compacted manually to level and reinforce dirt roads. This is a durable, yet simple technology, the materials for which can be sourced locally. Additional facilities included water points and cattle troughs. Two technicians were also trained as community resource personnel, to provide support and maintenance after the construction ended.

To address productivity bottlenecks the PROSPECTS team and the Bureau of Pastoralist Development jointly prioritized cooperative development, the construction and enhancement of milk-storage facilities, and improvements to road infrastructure. A milk collection and cooling facility was constructed so that milk would have a longer shelf life and be preserved during transport to nearby markets. Water sources were constructed so that livestock would have water all year round in the arid climate, while the pooling and storage facilities prolonged the shelf life and hygiene of the milk.

The cooling facility was designed according to national standards and requirements set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. It was constructed by local contractors from Somali Regional State, who, in turn, employed refugee and host community members from the surrounding area. In all, 134 community members worked on the EIIP construction, while approximately 585 individuals and approximately 5,080 animals had access to the improved facilities. 
 

LEDCs were established at state level in East Darfur and West Kordofan to localize programming and facilitate interventions to support rural livelihoods under PROSPECTS even during conflict.

As a mechanism to localize its approach to Employment-Intensive Investment Programmes (EIIP) in Sudan, the PROSPECTS team set up LEDCs at state level in East Darfur (Assalaya) and West Kordofan (Keilak and Muglad). These included representatives from state-level ministries, employers’ and workers’ organizations, local financial institutions and vocational training centres. The main objective of the LEDCs was to transfer relevant knowledge and skills for ensuring coordinated and locally appropriate interventions to support rural livelihoods under PROSPECTS. Three LEDCs were formed and underwent a period of training. They convened on a quarterly basis and submitted action plans for coordinated information-sharing and exchange. The action plans commonly involved access to remote field locations, monitoring and providing feedback on work progress, and developing evidence-based recommendations to strengthen programming. These were reviewed by the PROSPECTS team and used to determine support costs that the LEDCs would require. The plans, and associated capacity-building for LEDC members, helped the programme localize its operations. In terms of EIIP, this served to support the identification of relevant infrastructure work and localized monitoring and oversight functions. The LEDCs continued to meet in the early phases of the resurgent conflict, and helped the ILO maintain PROSPECTS  even as access to project sites was interrupted for PROSPECTS staff.

Find out more about Local Economic Development Committees helped guide and support PROSPECTS programming and implementation in Sudan
 

A digital monitoring tool, piloted in Iraq's Kurdistan region, enabled young engineers to monitor EIIP sites, ensuring quality and safety standards, while providing valuable digital work experience.

In Iraq, a simplified digital monitoring tool was introduced and used by young engineers to carry out monitoring and reporting on Employment-Intensive Investment Programmes (EIIP) sites. The tool was designed to ensure adherence to quality of work, alignment with environmental and social safeguards, and safety standards across project sites, while also introducing a technology that would allow young people to gain work experience using digital skills. Both project sites in Dohuk and Mosul had large universities with engineering departments which produced a large pool of graduates seeking practical work experience. To capitalise on the talent pool and introduce monitoring tools that captured information in real time, survey information was uploaded to Kobo Toolbox. This included technical aspects to measure the project’s implementation, as well as social and environmental elements. The tool was already in use by other humanitarian and development actors in the area. The tool was first introduced on green work sites in the Kurdistan region, with young engineers from the University of Dohuk. After a successful roll out on project sites in Dohuk, it was rolled out in Mosul. Here, it proved particularly useful for continuous monitoring when PROSPECTS staff could not access project sites, owing to security requirements that made travel more costly and time-intensive. The tool is now used for all EIIP programmes across Iraq and the team is looking at ways to institutionalize it in governmental public works programmes.

Find out more about the PROSPECTS programme’s wider learning on youth engagement and digital and gigs economies. 

Engaging trade unions in a technical committee led to joint wage recommendations and demonstrated the potential for greater refugee representation within Employment-Intensive Investment Programmes (EIIP).

The approach taken in Iraq also involved trade union participation, through the creation of a technical committee to oversee and guide the programme. The direct involvement of the trade unions saw them take on a role to solve issues to do with decent work, in partnership with the government. The leadership role of the unions positioned the ILO as a convenor, enhancing the authority of the social partners. The unions also played a role in advising EIIP workers themselves and supported the election for worker representatives on project sites. The elected representatives pushed for the development of a recommended wages list for 20 occupations in the construction sector. A recommended wages list was drawn up jointly with the construction workers’ union and contractors’ association in Dohuk, providing a positive example of local partners taking on responsibility and ownership. It also shows the potential for EIIP workers to take on greater responsibility as worker representatives and build cohesion by advocating collectively for a shared benefit, such as standardized wages.
 

This video shows how four young people in Jordan developed new skills and found their career paths through the Job Search Club (JSC) initiative.

In this documentary, Al Harith, Issa, Abeer, and Malek share their stories, challenges, dreams, and the success they have now achieved. And these four are not alone; across Jordan, more than 1,400 Jordanian and Syrian young people have completed the intensive, career-focused training included in the JSC curriculum implemented by the ILO, UNICEF, and the Business Development Centre (BDC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth.

Find out more about the PROSPECTS programme’s wider learning on youth engagement. 

The PROSPECTS Jordan team successfully adapted and implemented the Job Search Club (JSC) model in partnership with UNICEF and the Jordanian Ministry of Youth to address high youth unemployment, incorporate national policies, and include a focus on green jobs.

In 2019, the Jordanian Ministry of Youth (MOY) launched its National Youth Strategy, which called for a focus on increasing the availability and reach of services to young people through MOY centres. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, youth unemployment, that is, among those aged 15 to 24, exceeded 46 per cent; as of 2023, it remained at just over 41 per cent. This drew national attention to the situation of young people and confirmed the need for more concerted support. The MOY National Youth Strategy highlighted links to Jordan’s Vision 2025, a detailed socio-economic plan put forward by the King, entitled “Developing career guidance, employment services and changing business culture”. With these policy elements in place and against a backdrop of high youth unemployment, the PROSPECTS Jordan team adapted the JSC model from the programme in Egypt and applied it in partnership with UNICEF, using the MOY youth centres as spaces in which to convene the clubs.

Adaptation of the tool began in consultation with the PROSPECTS team in Egypt, along with the JSC master trainer in that country. The MOY in Jordan approved adaptations and provided feedback in the process. The version adapted for Jordan took into consideration labour market governance, particularly policies governing refugees’ access to specific trades and occupations. This included work-permit processes, sectors that were “closed” to foreigners and regulations to register a business. Because Egypt and Jordan shared the same language, similar cultural contexts and groups of refugees, the adaptations were relatively easy to make.

Taking the example of Egypt, the PROSPECTS Jordan team established a partnership with the MOY. It did so jointly with UNICEF, whose mandate lent itself to the activity. It established a UN-to-UN Agreement with UNICEF for the JSCs, with UNICEF transferring funds to the ILO to apply and implement the methodology. Under this collaboration, UNICEF used its partnership with the MOY to secure youth centres as spaces in which to convene the clubs. It also conducted outreach activities related to the JSC among youth groups and youth-led organizations. The ILO was responsible for adaptation, application and follow-up. Both organizations appointed country-based staff as focal points to ensure coordination and oversee day-to-day operations.

The JSC started with training for facilitators, led by the master trainer from Egypt and including staff from UNICEF, the ILO, MOY and the partner selected to implement the clubs, the Business Development Centre. The week-long training covered the role of facilitators and skills for successful facilitation, supporting job-search functions and providing job-seekers with information on job vacancies and skills requirements. Given that the clubs would bring together both refugees and members of the host community, attention was given to addressing social cohesion between these groups. 

In the pilot phase, 20 clubs were set up across the three largest refugee-hosting governorates. These included clubs inside the Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps. Each started with ten days of training, providing skills to build the employability profile of participants, followed by coaching and peer-to-peer support.

The pilot served as proof of concept, which enabled the MOY to pilot it and scale it up. By engaging the MOY directly in the adaptation and facilitator training, the Ministry’s ownership of the methodology was reinforced. The Ministry subsequently endorsed JSC as a method to deliver the aims of the National Youth Strategy. JSCs responded to real needs, namely, very high youth unemployment among both host and refugee communities in the country.

After the pilot, the JSC methodology was further adapted to focus on “green” jobs. This was partly influenced by the Ministry of Labour’s National Employment Plan 2023, the aim of which is for 10 per cent of all jobs in the Kingdom to be green by 2030. An accompanying green jobs assessment also demonstrated the current and anticipated potential for green jobs in Jordan’s agriculture, energy, manufacturing, tourism, transport, waste management and water sectors. The format of the clubs remained similar to those convened in the pilot phase but introduced the concept of green jobs and how these contribute to environmental preservation and restoration. In two cases, green JSCs were convened in universities, which provided a pool of qualified refugee and Jordanian youth in the process of pursuing green professions. In addition, a job fair was organized with private sector employers in green sectors and enterprises.

The evolution of JSC in Jordan illustrates a model that is linked to national policies and processes, while also considering genuine labour market challenges faced by young people. The methodology was relevant and beneficial to both refugees and host community members, with both groups reporting similar levels of employment directly after their participation in the clubs. 
 

Read success stories of JSC graduates and facilitators:

• Jordan: the success story of four young people with JSC
• Story of a JSC refugee facilitator: a job changed my life as a refugee
   

Find out more about the PROSPECTS programme’s wider learning on youth engagement.