What is YCI?

YCI stands for Youth Challenge International. It is an organisation, which mission is to build the skills, experience and confidence of young people to effect positive change in their communities.

One of the missions of the organisation is to send young and motivated people to development countries like Ethiopia. YCI has been working successfully in collaboration with Emmanuel Development Association (EDA), a local and highly-regarded community development organization in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, with three different project locations. Ethiopia is a country of great antiquity, with a culture and traditions dating back more than 3,000 years. It’s a multi-ethnic state with four main language groups: Semitic, Cushitic, Omotic, and Nilo-Saharan. Ethiopia is a composite of more than 70 ethnic groups. The YCI projects will be taking place in the friendly and beautiful town of Debre Sina. Debre Sina is a green and mountainous small town located about 200 km northwest of Addis Ababa. It is known for its extremely friendly and welcoming community.

Unfortunately Ethiopia is also known for its arid landscapes and devastating famines. Despite recent progress, Ethiopia is still one of the world's poorest countries with some of the world's highest infant, child and maternal mortality rates. YCI works closely with our partner Emmanuel Development Association on a youth skills employability program in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. YCI continues with community development programming in Debre Sina that includes literacy training, life skills development, HIV/AIDS awareness, women ’s empowerment and environmental protection.

For this article, I used the information from www.yci.org.