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Zambia

In May 2006, ImagineNations and an unprecedented partnership of government, private and civil society sector organizations launched the Youth Investment Trust of Zambia. This large-scale Trust, the first-of-its-kind nationwide effort, focuses on employment and enterprise opportunities for young people with a special emphasis on adolescent girls and young women.

The Trust's official name is "YAPYA: Youth Investment Trust of Zambia." In a number of the most common Zambian languages, Yapya means, "ripening" or "on fire" and implies something exciting and "ready to go."

YAPYA facilitates employment, agricultural projects, and small and medium-sized enterprise development opportunities for young people in Zambia and creates a model for other African and developing countries. Examples of the types of projects that are funded through the Trust include:

1. Projects that increase employability and income of adolescent girls and boys, particularly in rural Zambia - through the provision of relevant education, business and agricultural skills training, apprenticeships, mentoring and access to opportunities;
2. Projects that promote the development of indigenous small and medium-sized enterprises that employ or are created by youth; develop appropriate microfinance products and services targeting young clients;
3. Projects that strengthen the institutional capacity for youth employment/enterprise creation in Zambia, ensuring gender issues are addressed and specific knowledge and capacity is developed about girls' and boys' employment and enterprise needs;
4. Projects that improve policies and programming for youth employment and entrepreneurship - by working in partnership with government, NGOs and the private sector, YAPYA increases the overall funding, quality and scale of employment and enterprise programs for young people.

YAPYA's board of directors:

• Ambassador Inonge Lewanika, Zambian Ambassador to the U.S.
• Michael Mundashi, Advocate, Mulenga Mundashi & Co.
• Chileshe Sokota, Advocate, Chibesakunda & Co
• Rick Little, president and CEO of ImagineNations Group
• Ken Muyangwa, CEO of YAPYA
• Passmore Hamukoma, chair, Zambian Airways and chair of Chamber of Mining Commerce
• Mizinga Melu, Managing Director, Standard Chartered Bank Zambia
• Samuel Matete, renowned Zambian athlete and philanthropist
• Tom Coogan (Ex-Officio), representative for Africa Programs, United States African Development Foundation