10/09/2025
I am so glad to share Rights Action Ghana LBG's Building Resilient opportunities for youth and families through inclusive livelihoods and empowerment project with you.
The BRIDGE Project is a one-year initiative by Rights Action Ghana (RAG), running from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, with funding support of USD 10,000 from the Vibrant Village Foundation. It builds on the achievements of the Youth Employment and Skills (YES) Project (2023–2025), which empowered 150 youth through vocational training, entrepreneurship support, and Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs). Despite these gains, challenges such as harmful gender norms, unequal household decision-making, and weak family support systems continue to limit youth, especially young women.
To address these barriers, the BRIDGE Project will combine the Gender Family Model (GFM) with VSLAs and skills development support. This participatory approach will actively engage youth, families, and communities in addressing restrictive gender norms, promoting equitable decision-making, and building supportive environments for inclusive livelihoods. The intervention will focus on five communities in the West Mamprusi Municipality, an area marked by high youth out-migration and limited economic opportunities.
The project has two main objectives: to empower at least 150 youth through skills training, start-up support, and household-level gender norm transformation; and to strengthen RAG’s institutional capacity and governance for more effective delivery. Key activities include establishing five VSLAs, training 10 youth in vocational and livelihood skills, and providing 30 already skilled youth with start-up equipment. The project will also offer business and financial literacy training, leadership development, GFM family mentoring, and linkages with financial institutions and state agencies to support youth enterprise growth.
Expected results include increased youth employment, income, and entrepreneurship, along with greater participation of women and girls in economic activities through more equitable family dynamics. The project will also foster stronger family and community support for youth-led initiatives. In total, 150 youth will directly benefit, with families, communities, and institutions serving as secondary beneficiaries. Particular attention will be given to vulnerable groups such as young women, persons with disabilities, and youth without livelihoods.
Sustainability is central to the BRIDGE Project. Youth will be embedded in long-term support systems through VSLAs, institutional partnerships with the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) and Business Advisory Centres (BAC), and continuous family engagement using the GFM approach. Training materials will be designed for replication, while mentorship circles and community platforms will ensure ongoing dialogue, advocacy, and support beyond the project’s funding cycle.
