Audio Transcript Auto-generated
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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.