Our Project
Between 2020 and 2021, youth members of Slum Dwellers International’s federation, across six cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, and researchers from the University of Warwick and Nottingham, sought to amplify youth voices speaking to the ethics and justice issues arising from impacts of the COVID-19 and the policy response.
The project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK.
Recommendations
“I'm a kind of person that I go to work every day, and so many things to do each day. So, like that is very, very, not so convenient for me. And I am very sure is not so convenient for every other youth out there. So, my main point is that they don't make the vaccine very accessible and very convenient for people to get, especially youth” (Elijha, Lagos)
“It has really made we the youth to begin to have more enlightenment on our thoughts on how to make ourselves better for the future. Because we have it seen that our present government are not really trying in terms of making we the youths to be what we have always wanted to be. So it’s left for us to do it. So due to what has happened last year, it has enlightened more on us to know what is ahead in the future.” (Sam, Lagos).
Adaptation Principles
Youth Face Resilience
Distributive Justice
Background
• Sub-Saharan Africa has the youngest population of any world region- with youth aged 15-24 estimated at 226 million (40% of the world’s total).
• Young people are important demographically, economically, socially, culturally, and politically. • The direct health effects of COVID-19 have generally been less deadly for younger age groups.
• The direct health effects of COVID-19 have generally been less deadly for younger age groups.
• However, for urban youth living in informal settlements, the threat to their lives and livelihoods arising from disease control policies, such as lockdowns and the closure of public space, has been disproportionately large.
• Young people are drivers of innovation and resilience in informal urban communities, they can use their experiences to play a central role in finding creative solutions and recommendations, as key agents of change across these contexts.
• However, they are often excluded from formal decision-making structures at community and government levels.
• Governments and organisations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic (and beyond) can ensure both effectiveness and proportionality in their responses by working with the skills, inventiveness, energy, connection, and knowledge of urban youth.
This brief captures the key findings and recommendations brought to light through collaborative and youth-led research across six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Credits:
KYC.TV