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EMpower commits $289,000 to youth focused programs in emerging market countries at the Grants Committee Meeting on March 3^rd. Many thanks to Diego Gradowczyk and Barclays Capital for hosting the event and to all those who participated.

Of the 9 grants approved, 6 are new and 3 are renewals to current grantee partners. Located in Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Turkey, most of these partnerships are the product of staff visits to these countries.

Here is a look at two of our new grantee partners:

68% of 15-24 year olds in Complexo de Mare, one of Rio's most violent and drug-ridden favela complexes, have not graduated from elementary school and children in this area are often employed in illicit drug trade. Luta Pela Paz (Fight for Peace) offers young people an alternative to the violence and poverty surrounding them with highly successful sports and educational programming. Young people are attracted to the boxing lessons and gain life skills as well as tutoring in school subjects and computers. In addition, Luta Pela Paz makes home visits to encourage continued education and to assist with family issues. This holistic approach gives young people constructive alternatives to choosing a life path towards drugs and violence and begins to change the culture of violence.

Turkey has a large, growing population of disadvantaged urban youth due to migration and demographic trends. This results in few opportunities for them to develop their potential or engage constructively in their communities. Genclik Calismalari (Youth Studies Unit) works to empower and provide skills and knowledge to young people, particularly young women, on health, democracy, citizenship, fundraising, project management, team work and community engagement. With young staff and a cadre of youth volunteers, the organization is truly youth-centered, enabling them to reach their out of school peers and create more cohesion, understanding and engagement of youth in Istanbul's diverse communities.

Cynthia Steele and Virginia Dooley are traveling through South Africa visiting grantee partners and exploring future funding opportunities. Here's what Virginia reports from the field:

I have often heard South Africa described as a tale of two economies. Having traveled in other areas of Africa, I hardly recognized this new landscape of ultra modern shopping malls, boutique hotels, and trendy restaurants and clubs. A short drive out side any of South Africa's cities revealed the familiar crowded and hectic urban sprawl that characterizes many of the sub region's townships. In this sense, South Africa is a contradiction at every turn. While SA's economic indicators characterizes it as an emerging market, an analysis of the income of SA's black population would place it as one of the poorest economies in the world. Plagued by a 30% HIV rate and 40% unemployment (of which 80% are youth), many of SA's resources, despite progressive government programs, remain in the hands of too few. As I sit in Cape Town, I reflect on my visits to two EMpower grantees who are offering unique solutions to two of SA's major epidemic.

Based in the industrial area of Woodstock, The Black Umbrellas Project is supporting skilled laborers and artisans as they start their lives as micro-entrepreneurs in practical areas of painting, construction, home financing, etc. SA has one of the lowest rates of entrepreneurship in the continent, but in just one year with its first EMpower grant, 60 small and medium enterprises (SME's) were created and now employ nearly 500 people. Dolan, 23 years old, tells me that After my parents passed away, I was left with no support and in charge of caring for my younger brother. I wasn't able to finish matric (high school) but I had an idea. I identified a gap in the housing market for affordable housing and with the help of Black Umbrellas, especially their cheap phone services and access to credit, I was able to begin a business building and financing windyshacks (small shed size homes constructed of wood and sheet metal, common in townships). I employ a staff of 4 and earn 25,000 Rand in profit each month.

Later that day as we rode to Kyalitsha, Hoops 4 Hope All Star Davina, age 22, tells us about the prevalence of HIV, violence, gangs, and tik (methamphetamine) in her nearby neighborhood of Lavender Hill. She knows Hoops 4 Hope is a safe place for her younger peers and beams with pride as she discusses how girls come to her with problems but also just to talk. She is evidence of the skills that leaders at H4H are acquiring for future careers and as a past participant in the program, she knows her work will equip young people with the life skills needed to survive in the townships and beyond. On the court, MVP Lala energetically translates while I interview young girls about their dreams for the future. 13 year old Mizune very seriously explains her wishes to become an NBA player and a civil engineer I want to be like Michael Jordan in a way that suggests she won't settle for anything less, and looking at the bleak landscape, I agree - she definitely deserves it.

Program Director Julian Liu visited Thailand and Vietnam this July visiting with curent grantee partners and exploring future funding opportunities: