Youth Projects Development Platform - YPDP

We recently hosted the media team from the AU-EU Youth Lab 📸 as part of ongoing efforts to document progress under The Margins to Leadership Project.

The visit included field engagements in Mansa District, where we engaged with communities and local leadership 🤝, including a visit to Chinfula Village. Here, one of our beneficiaries, Francis, is actively promoting civic participation and raising awareness on how communities can engage with Ward Development Committees and access the Constituency Development Fund.

A stakeholder engagement involving Mansa District commissioner, the deputy mayor, several traditional headmen, school headteachers, FML community youth leaders, and community actors highlighted key barriers affecting youth participation in development opportunities:

🔹 Limited capacity in proposal writing and business planning

🔹 Low awareness of available opportunities and access pathways

🔹 Rising cases of school dropouts and youth disengagement

🔹 Limited access to productive resources such as land and agricultural inputs 🌱

🔹 Capacity gaps preventing communities from fully utilizing CDF

Feedback from the Ward Development Committee in Myulu Ward further indicated that while one cooperative has successfully accessed CDF support for piggery production 🐖, several others require technical support to navigate the application process.

These insights reinforce a critical development gap:

⚠️ Access to funding must be matched with capacity, information, and localized support systems.

Through collaboration with partners such as the Chance for Change Foundation, we are working to address these gaps by strengthening skills in entrepreneurship, agriculture value chains, and project development 📚.
our commitment remains focused on strengthening decentralized development, improving access to public resources, and empowering youth and women to actively shape their futures 🌍.

We were honored to join a powerful meet-and-greet hosted by Zambia Youth Delivery Forum - ZYDF , bringing together youth-led NGOs from across the country to connect, collaborate, and align our voices. What stood out was our openness to sharing skills and strengths, where we positioned ourselves to support fellow organizations in strengthening their systems through capacity building. Even more inspiring was how, within just 10 minutes, six organizations co-created a bold and practical project idea focused on raising awareness of the roles of elected leaders tackling misinformation, reducing unrealistic expectations, and promoting accountability in leadership.

We are collaborative, fast, focused, and solution-driven. We are excited to keep building strong partnerships, supporting youth-led organizations, and turning ideas like this into real impact for Zambia. To partners, donors, and fellow changemakers, this is your invitation to collaborate with us. And to our peers join us as we shape the future together.

Executive Director’s Message
As Zambia commemorates Youth Day 2026 under the theme “Arise and Soar,” we are reminded that young people have the power to rise and lead change in their communities, especially in advancing rural development and sustainable livelihoods. Guided by our vision of empowered young people actively participating in governance, development, and community transformation. We invite you to join us. Tap the energy and leadership of youth today. Together, we shall transform communities and livelihoods by 2031.

Happy International Women’s Day. Thank you for your strength, kindness, and endless inspiration.