Optimising social protection and child protection systems for human development from within the Young World

Social protection is a set of policies and programmes that protect people against poverty and risks to their livelihoods and well-being. Various mechanisms can provide this protection, including cash or in-kind benefits, contributory schemes and programmes to enhance human capital, productive assets and access to jobs.

Our aim is to support our partners in optimising social protection systems for human development. We do this by reforming policies, improving financing and access, ensuring sustainability, integrating technology for better delivery, and tailoring these systems to contribute to the more holistic development of individuals and societies. This includes leveraging social protection to improve education and health outcomes, ensuring access to earning opportunities and a decent standard of living, and reducing vulnerability to shocks.

Child protection involves safeguarding children from harm and encompasses a range of measures and structures put in place to prevent and address abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence against children.

We work to improve child protection systems by supporting the strengthening of legal frameworks, enhancing coordination among stakeholders, and building the capacity of child protection workers. We have worked with our partners to implement preventive measures through community education and parenting support programmes, ensuring child participation in decisions affecting them, and securing sustainable funding.

We believe that social protection and child protection systems don’t change from the outside. As a Young World firm rooted in Africa, we boast a team composed mostly of senior and junior staff who reside in and originate from the Young World. This grants us access to tacit knowledge, expansive networks, legitimacy and a profound commitment to driving change. We believe in a unified approach to transformation that embodies an inside-out perspective where everyone collaborates on joint solutions. This methodology is deeply ingrained in the firm’s culture of Siyakhana.