Norwegian Refugee Council’s
Country programme in Eritrea
NRC is providing skills training and hope to youth in Eritrea
Our impact
In 2016 NRC reached
4,655
NRC has been active in Eritrea since 2013 working in
Partnership with the Ministry of Education in 4
different Zobas.
Individuals, with education
Budget: 2016 10 M NOK | 2015 1.68 M NOK
Donor: NMFA, FCO, SEM
International staff: 3
National staff: 0
Established: 2013
NRC’s main focus in Eritrea is providing training to
youth who often lack access to education and
employment opportunities. This has been done
through providing vocational skills training, where
youth are trained in a marketable skill, such as hair
dressing, electrical installation and plumbing.
and classrooms have light at night for evening
classes and study. NRC has trained technicians at
the schools to ensure maintenance of the solar
system and thereby its sustainability.
The best students in each field are also selected for
an apprenticeship with renowned companies and
institutions in Eritrea. This increases the motivation
among students and helps create linkages between
the job market and the skills training.
Students are also trained in business management
skills and are given a start-up grant after graduation
to help them start up their own businesses.
NRC has also been providing training centres and
primary schools with solar power. This has ensured
students have access to computers and libraries
www.nrc.no
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Photo: [NRC/Photographers name]
FACT SHEET
Dec 2016
Areas of operation: Keren,
Masawa and Aqordat
Country office: Asmara
Humanitarian and political
background
Eritrean migrants heading for Europe
Eritrea has a significantly large and growing
population of youth that are uneducated,
unemployed and lack relevant job skills to enable
them to engage in productive work to earn a decent
living.
Eritrea is situated in the drought-prone region of the
Horn of Africa. Prolonged periods of conflict and
severe drought have adversely affected Eritrea's
agriculture-based economy and it remains one of
the poorest countries in Africa
This large number of unskilled youth continues to
pose a major protection concern as they opt to flee
the country through dangerous migration routes to
escape from poverty and lack of economic
opportunities. Those who remain behind are faced
with the open-ended mandatory national service.
Eritrea remains under UN sanctions in accordance
with the 2011 Security Council Resolutions 1907 and
2023. The economic situation has been dominated
by continued high tensions with Ethiopia, which has
resulted in resources being spent on the military and
a closed and heavily fortified border. The economy
has also been affected by rising food prices globally
as it largely depends on food imports.
Migration concerns in Eritrea are not limited to
urbanized and educated youth however. Migrants,
including an increasing number of minors, now
come from a wider cross-section of society. The
relatively large number of unaccompanied minors
arriving from Eritrea are at high risk of becoming
victims of trafficking and human smuggling.
Lack of access and updated data on needs,
continues to contribute to the difficulty in accurately
assessing the vulnerability of the population,
especially in lowlands and coastal areas and
specifically for children, girls and women.
Contact:
Head of Program: Melchizedek Malile
Phone: +2917244064
E-mail: [email protected]
Country office: Asmara
Address:
www.nrc.no
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NRC activities in the field
Since 2013, NRC has been assisting youth in Eritera
with education opportunities.
Education
Few vocational skills training opportunities exist for
Eritrean youth who either drop out of schools or do
not get the opportunity to enrol in formal schools.
As a result, 254,100 youth (representing a 61.8 per
cent) in the country are currently out of school
without any meaningful skills to help them engage
in income generating activities.1 According to the
2012 EFA Global Monitoring Report, Eritrea does not
have an effective National Skills Training Strategy
for its youth, resulting in high levels of idle youth
who have no skills that can help them engage in
livelihood activities.
In order to respond to these needs, we:
•
•
•
Provide skills training to youth in the
following trades: Hair dressing and beauty
therapy, satellite dish and solar Installation
and maintenance, pottery, weaving,
electrical installation, plumbing and
irrigation skills, marine, fishery and net
making
Provide quality training for teachers
Install solar power systems to improve the
quality of education in schools and training
centres
www.nrc.no
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