The Enhancing Civil Society’s Role in Advancing Children’s Rights: Supporting the Implementation of the Children’s Code Act is being supported by the European Union. The project helps children and young people, particularly those from marginalised and underrepresented groups, to understand, claim and enjoy their rights under Zambia’s Children’s Code Act No. 12 of 2022. It …
catalyzing a more inclusive and responsive society in which enhanced youth engagement, empowerment, and connection shape policies, partnerships, and decision-making processes.
Many societies in Africa and Europe remain insufficiently youth-responsive and inclusive, limiting young people’s participation in decision-making. The AU–EU Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective addresses this by supporting a consortium of partners to implement youth-led initiatives that co-create more inclusive, participatory systems and amplify youth voices across the continent.
In Amuria District in Eastern Uganda, a quiet transformation is taking root one seed at a time. Uganda faces a significant agricultural challenge – 87% of farmers lack access to recommended Quality Declared Seeds (QDS). This gap has contributed to low agricultural productivity and increased household food insecurity. According to UBOS (2018), limited access to …
The Creating Opportunity for Youth in Digital Economy (CODE) project supports young women and men in Nepal to develop digital skills, access decent employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, and participate in shaping an inclusive digital future. Nepal’s digital economy is expanding rapidly, creating new opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation. However, many young people, particularly young …
Zambia’s focus within the AU-EU Youth Voices Lab is on supporting youth-led participation, advocacy, accountability and institutional engagement, while creating linkages between national youth priorities and wider continental and AU-EU processes. The Zambia programme combines capacity strengthening, youth engagement, evidence generation and dissemination, advocacy, and efforts to strengthen institutions to meaningfully engage young people. The …
The Gully Youth Lab (GYL) is a youth-centred initiative that supports adolescents and young people living in underserved urban communities to build knowledge, leadership, and agency. Many young people in these communities face barriers to accessing accurate health information, safe learning spaces, leadership opportunities, and meaningful participation in decisions that affect their lives. Social norms, …
My Education, My Right is a project empowering adolescent girls in government schools in the Ganjam district of Odisha to become the STEM leaders and changemakers of tomorrow. The project addresses school dropout rates, challenges deep-rooted gender stereotypes, and helps girls build coding skills and awareness of STEM careers, creating opportunities for those who have …
The MY PART Project is an EU-supported initiative that strengthens meaningful youth participation in Zambia through youth-led platforms, capacity strengthening, and support for civic engagement.
Our Year in Numbers Accountability is not just a principle for us—it is a practice. This report shares how we have turned that into real impact over the past year. Through programmes like SHE SOARS, We Lead, Youth Inclusion in Governance and Accountability (YIGA), and the Digital Health and Rights Project (DHRP) young people have …
In Sierra Leone, adolescent girls often face challenges shaped more by tradition than by their potential.
Funsani strengthens youth civic engagement in Zambia ahead of the 2026 elections, promoting credible information and citizen-led accountability online and face-to-face.
Nyenyezi (Intanda Stars) is a 2024–2026 project in Central Province (Ngabwe, Kapiri Mposhi and Luano) that helps prevent GBV by strengthening community response and supporting children and young people, especially girls and young women. Supported by Kindernothilfe.
Youth Voices Connect strengthens youth-friendly health services by enabling young people (10–24) to drive social accountability across Lusaka, Southern and Luapula.
The QUTWE project aims to strengthen parent-child relationships among young people and especially with LGBTQIA+ youth (ages 16–24) and their parents/caregivers through Youth Resource Centers (YRCs) that provide youth-led, community-based, and non-judgmental safe spaces in the Dakshinpuri area of Delhi. The YRCs use a three-pronged intervention model: By promoting open, supportive dialogues within families and …
The Challenge: According to the 2024 census, Uganda remains one of the world’s youngest nations, with 50.5% of its population aged 17 years and under, and a further 22.7% between the ages of 18–30. Despite their numbers, young people’s needs are often unmet, and they continue to face the consequences of poor governance, underrepresentation, and …
In 2025 we ran a dynamic UK-based youth mobilisation campaign with the aim of securing an ambitious replenishment from the UK government to the Global Fund. The campaign is built on three strategic pillars: 1. The Evidence: Nationwide Youth Polling To counter the narrative that young people are disengaged from global issues, the campaign commissioned …
The Spotlight Initiative, launched in 2017 with seed funding from the European Union, aims to eliminate violence against women and girls (EVAWG) and accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Across different contexts, young men face strong social pressures about how they should behave, express emotions, and relate to others. These expectations often reinforce harmful stereotypes that affect wellbeing, relationships, and gender equality. In both England and Nepal, young people themselves are increasingly leading conversations to reshape these norms in more positive and inclusive ways. …
14 Youth Accountability Advocates are equipping 1,350 out-of-school youth with knowledge of their civic rights and responsibilities by engaging 540 parents and guardians and 91 local government officials, creating a network for youth-led dialogue and accountability in Tanga
5 advocates are promoting seed sovereignty in East and Southern Africa through youth-led campaigns, advocacy, and public engagement, emphasizing the importance of indigenous seeds in ensuring food security
17 young representatives from 17 regions in Tanzania are informing the next SDC Cooperation Programme (2026–2030) and advise on approaches to strengthen youth participation in electoral processes.
Building partnerships among civil society, government institutions, and local communities, equipping youth and community actors with the skills and knowledge to engage in tax policy discussions.
Transforming Obstacles into Opportunities for Vulnerable Adolescent Girls
Enhancing Adolescent Girl’s Knowledge Through Life Skills to End Child Marriage and Other Harmful Practices (ECM)
The Power Up project is dedicated to unlocking the potential of 15,300 adolescent girls in Bombali and Moyamba District.
Enhancing Financial Empowerment and Innovation for Women in Moyamba and Freetown.
Recognising the critical role of the EU Youth Sounding Board (YSB) in shaping youth policies and fostering youth engagement across the EU and its partner countries
For decision-makers to take into consideration the needs and interests of youth in their programmes and policies, informed by meaningful youth engagement.
Promoting more effective citizen participation in governance processes to improve citizen-driven development.
Supporting young people to influence policies and partnerships at every level, from local communities to AU-EU platforms.
Enhancing young people’s access to SRHR services in the Eastern and Southern Africa region
Supporting 6,000 adolescents by providing financial aid, school supplies, transport, and menstrual health kits, while offering life skills and mindset transformation sessions to improve access, retention, and learning.
The Graduate Career Accelerator Programme (GCAP) aims to drive sustainable employment outcomes and long-term career success for Africa’s next generation of leaders by equipping them with essential skills, industry exposure, and direct employer connections. Restless Development Uganda, in partnership with the African Leadership Academy (ALA (opens in a new tab)), launched the Graduate Career Accelerator …
Ulemelero (Live well) boosts financial inclusion for rural young women in Luapula Province, Eastern Province and Western Province, Zambia.
It expands access to mobile money and agent banking and strengthens saving groups using a gender-transformative approach.
Uganda’s demographic trends are shaping every aspect of its development From economic growth and education to healthcare, governance, security, and climate change adaptation. With a growing youth population, the government sees this as a historic opportunity to drive the country toward middle-income status. Vision 2040 and the National Development Plans are key to this ambitious …
SHE SOARS supports out-of-school adolescents—especially girls aged 10–19—with practical sessions on sexual and reproductive health and rights, life skills, and basic financial literacy in Eastern Province, Zambia.
We are unleashing the potential of young people as champions of development across Tanzania. Our strategy for 2022-2030 aims to catalyze significant change through youth leadership
Catalyzing a more inclusive and responsive society in which enhanced youth engagement, empowerment, and connection shape policies, partnerships, and decision-making processes.
Strengthening 650 girls’ economic independence, leadership capacity, mental well-being, and access to supportive community systems so they can rebuild their lives and claim their rights.
Engaging our network of 7,000 alumni by keeping them connected to Restless Development and supporting their continued role in advancing youth empowerment and sustainable development across Tanzania.
Walking the Talk aims to boost the adoption of Feminist Foreign Policies (FFP) and gender equality in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the European Union. The programme advocates for an increase in Official Development Assistance (ODA) dedicated to gender equality and women’s rights. Working hand in hand with young people, we will …
400 young people are strategically equipped to expand dignified employment pathways by developing specialised competencies across the poultry value chain and market linkages
Youth Empowerment Movement in Pakur, Ganjam, and Vellore A youth-led coalition, empowering young leaders to drive change in SRHR. Activities like Youth Hacks and Youth Adda foster discussions on gender, leadership, and societal challenges. Through the implementation of three Change Action Projects, the initiative has successfully engaged and influenced the lives of nearly 2000 individuals. …
Empowering Youth for Sexual and Reproductive Health in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar MTV Nishedh, in collaboration with Restless Development India, focuses on SRHR awareness. Virtual Peer Education (VPE) engages young leaders, promoting informed discussions and breaking barriers. The Virtual Peer Education (VPE) initiative, undertaken by Restless Development India, sets an ambitious target of empowering 30 …
Improving Family Planning & Reproductive Health in Dakshinpuri, Delhi Addressing challenges in resettlement colonies, Delhi Learning Lab aims to enhance family planning and reproductive health. The lab targets adolescents, parents, and community members, promoting positive change in SRHR practices. By September 2024, the Delhi Learning Lab is ambitiously targeting the empowerment of10,000 adolescents and youth, …
Empowering Change: Pahal – For Gender Equity and Child Rights Pahal is a transformative initiative combating child rights violations, particularly child marriage and gender discrimination. Working with stakeholders, Pahal aims to improve access to education, prevent child marriages, and empower young leaders to address challenges in Jharkhand. With a dedicated focus on the youth, the …
Global Girls Creating Change (G2C2) empowered girls in Brazil, Indonesia, Nepal, and Uganda to lead climate action and green entrepreneurship through skills training, advocacy, and innovation grants. Led by Hivos with Restless Development and Humanis, G2C2 supported girls to research, influence, and implement climate solutions in their communities.
GreenShift Nepal is a four-year EU-funded project promoting a circular plastic economy in Madhesh, Lumbini, and Bagmati. Led by CREASION with Restless Development and YI-Lab, it empowers youth, waste workers, and communities through recycling, sustainable innovation, advocacy, and climate-smart schools for a Net-Zero Carbon Nepal.
Creating and expanding opportunities for the empowerment of adolescent girls and boys through gender-transformative engagement.
This is the first phase of the Financial Inclusion Project
Living in the Climate Crisis Young people are disproportionally affected by the climate crisis. The voices of young Africans are often unheard in public and political discussions of climate change impacts, adaptation and mitigation. Restless Development’s Living in Climate Crisis report, drawing from 1214 survey responses and 102 interviews with young people in Uganda found …
A youth-led movement on addressing the issues of climate change in Urban Bengaluru. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues affecting young people.
Rupantaran is a government-endorsed, holistic life skills package for adolescents aged 10–19. Developed with UN agencies, it covers leadership, livelihoods, health, and gender equality. Restless Development Nepal leads its rollout across 30+ districts, building youth capacity and challenging harmful social norms through a network of trained young leaders.
Nepali Yuwa in Climate Action and Green Growth empowers young people (15–29) to lead climate adaptation, green jobs, and local disaster planning in three provinces. Led by Restless Development Nepal with partners, the EU-funded project supports youth-led climate action, entrepreneurship, and advocacy for resilient, sustainable recovery.
Youth Take The Lead was a youth leadership exchange program active from 2011 to 2021, connecting young people from Nepal, South Africa, and Tanzania. Supported by NOREC, it built youth capacity through global dialogues, advocacy, and training, reached over 1,000 youth, and strengthened leadership and engagement in civil society.
Advancing livelihoods by expanding employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for 25,000 economically disadvantaged young men and women aged 15–24 across Tanzania.
Enhance the financial security and resilience of 1345 marginalized young people. through enterprise development while addressing gender-based violence and HIV prevention for sustainable development
Supporting out-of-school Adolescent girls in Uganda through Sexual and reproductive Health education. Adolescent girls face many barriers in exercising their Sexual and Reproductive Health rights,. The cost of these barriers are devastating and deadly. Barred from seeking services and making decisions about their health, one to 4 adolescent girls become mothers every year in Uganda.* …
Offering young people prospects for economic participation. Restless Development is partnering with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) (opens in a new tab) to harness the opinions, ideas, insights and lived experiences of a diverse group of young people in Uganda. The programme aims to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 4 ‘Quality Education’ by …
Promoting comprehensive well-being through sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), HIV prevention, violence prevention, nutrition, and the protection of adolescents’ rights in Songwe Region in Tanzania
Empowering young people to take a central role in development and governance, driving accountability and responsiveness from government institutions. Using our proven youth-led, data-driven mode
UPSHIFT empowers young people to identify challenges in their communities and create entrepreneurial solutions to address them.
O3 strengthens Life Skills and Health Education (LSHE) in Central Province, Zambia by training and supporting teachers and schools, with added parent and community engagement on comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
This new study is looking at how climate change impacts the lives of young people. What are young people doing to mitigate the effects of climate change upon their lives and their communities? We are also looking at how young people can be helped to overcome this challenge.
Young People should be at the heart of decisions that affect their lives. We believe that young people are experts in their own experience. They have the energy, and professionalism to speak for themselves. That’s why we believe in youth-led research. This exciting two month participatory research project was executed by a group of 12 …
Strengthening youth response and recovery for youth civil society. Resilient Realities is a youth-led research project that will explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth civil society around the world, and identify the kind of resourcing and support needed to strengthen the youth response and recovery. Resilient Realities will use an innovative methodology …
Creating sustainable change through volunteering.
Teaching life, career, gender, digital literacy and coding skills for girls.
Training young people to collect data, build a picture of problems facing communities, and hold their leaders to account to fix them.
Supporting young people to realise their sexual and reproductive health rights.
Fighting misinformation online to stop the spread of dangerous false information during the covid-19 pandemic.
Training young people to conduct and lead research projects, collecting evidence, and documenting youth needs, challenges, and aspirations in seven African countries to influence livelihoods and employment policy.
Committed to testing and developing new ways of doing development that are truly led by young people and their communities because when communities lead, development succeeds.
Colours of the Rainbow was a project active from April 2018 to October 2020 that supported LGBTIQ youth in Nepal to claim their sexual and reproductive health and rights. In partnership with AmplifyChange, it strengthened 80 CSOs, trained 4,778 people, and advanced inclusive policies and advocacy across the country.
International Citizen Service Nepal was a UK-funded volunteer exchange program led by VSO, pairing Nepali and UK youth to work on WASH, SRHR, and livelihoods in rural communities. Active learning, cross-cultural collaboration, and grassroots impact empowered over a decade of youth to become changemakers in their own communities.
Supporting young people to collect data and drive community-centred change.
Improving Sierra Leone’s ability to raise, allocate and account for the use of public funds so that they can be invested in services such as education health and economic growth.
Ensuring the most vulnerable girls across Sierra Leone can access the opportunities they deserve.
Supporting young women to raise awareness of the benefits of contraception with teenage girls.
Ensuring high quality healthcare is available so that children have the best start in life.
Young people, from 10 to 30 years old, are reducing the levels of new HIV infections and Gender Based Violence (GBV) among their peers, including those with disabilities.
Creating supportive learning environments for adolescents to thrive. Sambhav was a three year project implemented by Restless Development Nepal in partnership with UNICEF from 2016 to 2018. The project worked with adolescents, schools, teachers, parents, and local communities to improve learning outcomes, strengthen social inclusion, and support school retention among young people, particularly girls and …
TEVET for Young Female Learners helps girls gain practical skills through TEVET Career Clubs, stronger teaching, and partnerships that connect learning to real opportunities.
Youth for Health (Y4H) (now completed) expands access to adolescent sexual and reproductive healthcare and rights for marginalised girls, including girls with disabilities, in rural Zambia—strengthening youth-friendly services, community engagement, and youth-led accountability.
Chitetezo (now completed) was a youth-led, peer-to-peer project tackling gender-based violence, child marriage and teenage pregnancy across Eastern Province, Lusaka Province and Western Province in Zambia.
AIM Youth Power (now completed) strengthened youth-led accountability in Zambia by building the capacity of youth-led organisations to generate evidence, advocate with duty-bearers, and create safer dialogue between young people and state actors.
CIVSAM (now completed) strengthened child protection and youth participation in Central Province, Zambia by building children’s rights and sexual and reproductive health education, including for children with disabilities.
The Tikambe Youth Media, ”Let’s talk” programme, helps the young people have a voice, gain life skills, and attain an understanding of their sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR).
The Ishiwi “My Voice” programme helps to equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to understand their democratic rights.
We support young women and girls, by providing mentorship and internships to students from various universities and colleges in Zambia, in-order for them to gain career skills and access expert knowledge they will need for their future.
The Ubunonshi ”Youth Empowerment” programme helps to ensure that young people have the skills, knowledge, and the support they need to succeed in life.
Providing financial literacy training for girls and young women, in and out of school; increasing confidence and prospects and reducing HIV and financial insecurity.