International Economic Development and Employment
 War, poverty, HIV/AIDS, and lack of educational opportunities, have left people around the world struggling to earn a livelihood. Working with partners in the public and private sector, from the grass roots to the highest levels of government, EDC provides research, resources, and training to address issues related to employment and sustainable economic development.
Out-of-School Youth in Haiti
 More than half of Haiti’s youth are unemployed and only two-thirds of 6 to 12 year olds are enrolled in school. To assist these youth, EDC operates twelve youth centers, each of which provides 50 students between the ages of 15-20 with basic reading, writing, and mathematics education. Students also receive lessons in health, nutrition, conflict-resolution, and other life-skills. In addition, they have the opportunity to learn a marketable trade such as sewing, woodworking, auto mechanics, handcrafts, hotel services, or agricultural businesses.
Corporate-Community Partnerships
 Corporations around the world are embracing opportunities to support communities in their education, health, and livelihood programs. Throughout Asia, EDC works with a variety of corporations as they build local programs and strengthen their business opportunities.
Youth Employment in Asia
 Youth unemployment and underemployment plague many countries in the developing world. EDC has conducted assessments of the workforce status in five Asian countries—the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Indonesia. Produced for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) they identify challenges and resources to developing a ready and adaptive workforce, responsive education and training institutions, and real jobs for vulnerable populations.
Youth Development in West Bank, Gaza
 EDC’s Palestinian Youth Empowerment Program or Ruwwad provides opportunities for Palestinian youth and youth-serving organizations to offer humanitarian assistance and the planning and implementation of programs that affect their daily lives. Ruwwad, which translates from Arabic into “pioneers,” also provides youth with valuable leadership and entrepreneurial skills.
Youth Employment and HIV/AIDS
 Across Africa, the unemployment and HIV/AIDS infection rates are high among youth between ages 15 and 24. To inform and guide policymaking, EDC’s report, Involving Young People in Efforts to Combat HIV and AIDS in Africa: The Importance of Income-Generating Strategies, explores the role of youth engagement and income-generating strategies in mitigating the devastating impact of HIV and. It describes innovative efforts to compensate youth for their work in HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, and care throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Combating Human Trafficking
 In countries around the world, foreign workers employed as domestics often lack legal protection from abuse and exploitation. Collaborating with the government and human rights organizations in Bahrain, EDC is working to reform labor law and practice in the country and crack down on organized crime networks that traffic in human labor.
Economic Development in Macedonia
 EDC helps small and medium enterprises (SME) in Macedonia compete globally and domestically by giving them access to information and communications technologies (ICTs). Many of these businesses have used ICTs attract and communicate with customers, employ efficient supply and distribution channels, and modernize their business processes.
|  |
|
