Browsing by Author "Jose, Katja"

More than a half of the population in Southern Africa is young. In Mozambique, majority of the population lives in the rural area, gaining their livelihoods in subsistence farming. The growing urban population in the region is mainly occupied in the informal sector, where rights of the workers are not considered. This work is about young people and their opportunities to find employment and get settled in normal life. This work is based on interviews of young people from the poor neighborhood of Chamanculo in Maputo, Mozambique, and young people living in the streets in Nairobi, Kenya. Despite of differences between these two groups, they face similar challenges and prejudices. Also their dreams and strategies to reach these dreams do not differ much. The material is collected over a time span of over two years during monitoring trips to NGOs working for empowerment os marginalized youth. In addition to young people, material includes interviews with staff of NGOs working with marginalized youth, and representatives of respective government officers and school staff. Different from Western societies, being young is not considered a privilege in Southern Africa. Instead it’s a period in a life when possibilities for influencing and participating in social life are limited. Status of an adult is gained after establishing a family, and securing income that is enough to sustain oneself and his family. Especially young men are expected to be able to provide for their wife and the family. In a situation when access to decent jobs and income is limited, young people from difficult circumstances are easily stuck in a situation in which they do not have the option of becoming fully recognized adults. Weak educational background and connections to formal economy create obstacles for poor young people to integrate into formal society and labor force. In this work, the challenge of becoming adult is studied using concepts of child agency, agency, social navigation and capability. Agency of children and youth is a relatively new topic of studies, because decision-making has until recently been considered the responsibility of adults. However, recent studies show that children already in young age make decisions concerning their education, selection of future profession and entrance into vocational training. Young people make their decisions based on the information available for them about their societies, in this case especially about labor markets and income earning possibilities. Navigating in insecure environment requires continuous monitoring and keeping eyes open for any opportunity. Often youth in difficult situation have to consider both immediate survival and long term plans in the same time. Chances of young people from poor background are limited not only due to economic hardship, but also because of lacking social capital and networks. Possibility to choose between different options is often limited, and in many cases it’s necessary to accept any opportunity that turns up. Made choices are evaluated continuously; and corrective actions taken if a decision does not lead to a desirable outcome. Youth from poor neighborhood of Chamanaculo in Maputo tell that they search their models somewhere else, because the environment does not support education, and abuse of alcohol and drugs is common. In the same time, young people who have little formal education are in difficult position on the labor market, and those with less formal education end up in informal jobs. While informal sector is widespread. Even the poorest youth are usually aware of this, and employment in the formal sector is the ideal for most. Young people also dream of continuing their studies, and continuing to higher education after completing vocational training and earning some money. Costs related to formal education and lacking social capital prevent young people from poor families to pursue this dream. Especially young men who have grown up as street children face fear and discrimination. For youth from the margins of the society, placement on a training course is not enough, but they also need moral support and counseling to prepare them for the social life at workplace. When this support is available, they have all the possibilities to succeed, and most youth are employed after traineeship. Usually girls are more vulnerable than boys, and their opportunities in earning income are more limited than for young men. While young men from poor neighborhoods are easily labeled criminals, girls with the same background are often considered prone to prostitution. Selection of trades in vocational training is strongly gendered, and young women end up in professions that are less paid than male dominated ones.