Why it matters.
In the Somali Region, many young people have had their schooling cut short, or never started it, and too few routes back in.
Distance, cost and the movement of pastoralist households with their herds keep many children and young people out of the classroom. Drought and displacement interrupt schooling further, and girls are often the first to leave.
For those who have left, the routes back are few. Adult literacy classes, vocational courses and colleges are concentrated in the larger towns, and short courses rarely end in a certificate that employers recognize.
A CAYO volunteer talking with schoolgirls carrying U-Report Ethiopia bags.
What it does.
Ilays Learning will bring flexible learning close to where young people live, and link every course to a recognized certificate and a next step.
Open centres
Learning centres in towns and settlements, run with communities and local youth-led groups, so that no learner has to travel far.
Read and write
Literacy in the mother tongue for young people who missed school, at a pace that fits work and family life.
Build skills
Digital skills and short technical courses delivered with polytechnic colleges.
Certify and move on
A recognized certificate for every course completed, and a link to work, a business bootcamp or a leadership fellowship.
Who it is for.
Young women and men who are out of school or whose schooling was interrupted, in towns, pastoralist communities and displacement sites. Girls and young people with disabilities are designed in from the start.
Every programme carries our commitments: gender equality, disability inclusion, conflict sensitivity, a climate lens and digital-first delivery.
Where it starts.
Ilays Learning grows from CAYO’s education-access work and from the mentorship that already runs through our youth network.
Back2School with CAYO
An education-access project implemented by CAYO, opening the way back to the classroom.
Partners Ethio Telecom; Ugaaso Women Space Org · Implementer CAYO
Fursadaha Dhalinyarada network
Young people sharing opportunities and mentorship across the Somali Region. Ilays will use the network to reach learners and to recruit mentors.
Run by CAYO, on Telegram
How we will measure.
We will count certificates, not attendance, and follow learners after they finish.
Completion and certification
Every course completed and every certificate awarded.
What happens next
Whether learners move into work, further training or another CAYO programme within a year of finishing.
Who is learning
Results by sex, age, disability and displacement status, so that girls and young people with disabilities are counted.
One participant record
With each learner’s consent, a privacy-protected record that follows them across programmes and years.
Where this leads next.
Our programmes are built to connect, so that a young person can move from one to the next without starting over.
Ganacsi Youth Fund
Skills, capital and markets for young entrepreneurs, on terms that fit their faith and their communities.
Read more
Hiigsi Leaders
Young women and men at the table where local decisions are made.
Read moreFursadaha Digital
Digital skills, safe online spaces and a youth voice in the media.
Read morePartner on Ilays Learning.
Fund learning centres, co-design certified courses with us, or bring your college or training institution into the programme.