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Chapter 1
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    My name is simple Sadiq, and I am the regional director from your score. Africa

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    Mercy Corps works in six different regions and

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    operates in 40 plus countries around the world.

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    Are teams are dedicated and work with passion in order to

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    bring the change that we seek with the communities they serve?

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    Um, since 2000 and 15,

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    I've had the privilege of working closely with

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    the projects that will be sharing all today.

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    And it's always a pleasure to share the work that risk

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    has been doing and continues to do and in the region,

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    uh, today specifically, we'll be looking at three countries, uh, Nigeria,

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    Central African Republic and Kenya.

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    The topics that I'm going to be sharing with

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    you all today will include areas of conflict management,

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    entrepreneurship as well as your empowerment.

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    So let's get started with our first country Nigeria.

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    Okay?

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    Nigeria is Africa's most populous country,

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    and that's why we believe it's imperative to work to empower the youth.

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    One of the ways we try to do this is through education.

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    Mercy Port trains, local women to educate, and in school and out of school girls.

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    We also provide a career guidance and provide information on and support on women's

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    health in order to equip young women

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    to successfully transition from childhood to adulthood.

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    Another area where we're working to empower

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    youth is through developing their skills.

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    We have youth, um, such as the one between seeing the picture. This is from a picture.

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    This is from an event graduation event in Nigeria.

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    Around 5000 people graduated from vocational training,

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    so Mercy Corps helps to prepare young people better to join

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    the workforce by developing their skills in areas of their interest.

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    This can be baking carpentry and other areas as well.

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    Another area that Mercy Corps is engaged in and the country is addressing conflict.

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    So there has been ongoing conflict between

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    the government forces and insurgents insurgents,

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    mainly the Boko Haram in the north eastern part of the country.

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    Um,

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    this has led to thousands of people losing

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    their lives as well as families being displaced

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    and what's also known as the middle belt region of the country.

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    There has been ongoing conflict between farmers and herders

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    and competition for natural resources such as land.

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    This has also led to deadly conflict where thousands of

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    people lose their lives and families are being displaced.

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    So you may ask What is mercy doing?

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    Merci.

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    Since our operation in 2000 and 12, we have been working to create a civil society,

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    um, and faster that civil society over the years.

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    We do this by training and working with traditional and

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    religious videos and working with government officials as well.

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    Through our work,

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    we hope to develop the skills of these leaders to equip

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    them to understand and solve the root causes of these conflicts,

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    and also successfully manage these rising tensions and conflicts in the region.

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    As a result, Mercy Corps has been able to,

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    um solve over 1000 conflicts in the region since 2000 and 16.

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    So let's move on to our next country. The Central African Republic

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    Mhm

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    card, on top of the various economic challenges that it faces,

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    had a valid Kurita in 2000 and 13,

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    which worse than the country's existing humanitarian situation,

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    it is then understandable how such an unpredictable and chaotic environment

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    can hinder the access that young people have to education.

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    This is why, since our operation in 2000 and seven,

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    we have been working to get back to young people what they have lost over the years.

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    We have established what we call resilience centres around the country.

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    Um and these are places where young people can

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    get up to eight weeks of training to help them

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    to enable to help them be more self reliant and

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    be able to live out there and support themselves.

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    We also provide educational training and baking carpentry so that they

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    can open up their businesses and be equal to support themselves.

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    Another area that is crucial to our work and

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    in the Central African Republic is working with refugees.

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    Okay.

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    Our report from January um,

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    and to August of 2000 and 14 indicated that during those months,

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    2.5 million people were affected by violence and the car.

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    Um.

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    Furthermore,

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    UNHCR report stated that in 2000 and 17 61% of Central African refugees

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    and the neighbouring country of the Democratic Book of Congo were Children,

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    and following a violent election in 2000 and 10,000 and 20

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    there have been 200,000 people currently displaced within the country.

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    It's then clear that the Central African Republic face his enormous problems that

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    is hindering the social stability as well as economic stability of the country.

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    Mm.

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    In order to ease some of the burden that the country is facing,

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    we have been trying to work to ease the sanitary and water needs of refugees.

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    As a result,

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    our teams provide 60,000 litres of water to

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    over 2000 and 23,000 people in the country.

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    We also understand we also understand that

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    emotional and psychological told that the oral

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    crisis and seeking refuge can have on the families that we work with.

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    That is why we have established listening centres where people can get

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    up to um where people can get a lot of support,

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    medical and legal in order to navigate the journey as a refugee.

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    And these centres are in five cities across the country,

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    so moving on to our last country, Kenya.

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    So Kenya is Africa is one of Africa's fastest growing economies, and technology is,

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    um, fascinating or rapidly increasing the country's economic sector.

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    However,

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    around 40 million people still struggle with unemployment

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    and this is where Mercy Corps comes in.

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    Since 2000 and 50 and 8 to 2000 and eight, I worship with thousands. Oh God.

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    Since 2000 and eight since 2000 and eight. Rather, I'm having issues of number City.

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    Clearly, um, Mercy Corps has been working to eat some of these issues.

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    Recently, we partnered with Google and launch our new APP.

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    Link Link is an app that helps informal workers

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    connect with clients and a fast and reliable way.

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    So I would like to end this presentation by highlighting an individual that has been

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    working with Mercy Corps closely and has has been a beneficiary of our AB link.

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    This is Julius. Julius is a 28 year old carpenter from Kisumu, Kenya.

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    Before using Link,

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    Julius used to advertise his work on the side of the

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    road and secure about two or three jobs per week.

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    Through Link, he has been able to secure more clients and received more requests.

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    As a result, he were currently works full time,

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    and through his words, he shared with us

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    that this needs a better paycheck for himself and the result.

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    Currently,

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    he's saved money and bought a home and is now

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    working to build a better life for himself and his family

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    and across the continent and the world.

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    Mercy Corps works with people like Julius

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    who who need specific resources to advance the

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    work that they do and better their lives or others who need enormous support,

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    like the Central African refugees, um, to advance their,

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    uh their lives and get over or overcome rather challenge that they face every day.

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    So today I've had the pleasure of sharing with you the work of the work

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    and the impact that we've been having on

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    specifically three countries in the region Nigeria,

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    Central African Republic and Kenya.

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    I know that moving forward,

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    our teams will only continue to work harder and

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    more engaged more with the communities that they serve,

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    and there's respect.