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Being a woman in Bangladesh has its hardships ! Juthi tells us how LP4Y helps her to build her independence. Juthi Akter, TDC Vashantek, Dhaka, Bangladesh Assalamualaikum, I’m Juthi Akter. I’m 22 years old. I live in Bhashantek, Dhaka with my parents & younger brother. I finished my college in 2017 but unfortunately I couldn’t continue my university studies due to financial problems. In Bangladesh there are many young women who face a lot of pressures, like early marriage, early children, society pressure & harassment. I’m one of those young women who face it everyday. I want to be independent because i don’t want to get married. I want to be able to make my own choices in life. For now I want to focus on my career because I don't want to be a burden for others. LP4Y helps us by developing our Life Project Plan in order to have a good job. During this 6-months training we do company visits, we learn how to manage a project but also time management & mock interviews. Doing all of this gives us an idea how it will be when we will enter the professional world. That’s how LP4Y helps me. Soon I’ll have a good job and then I’ll be able to live independently and also help my family.

Jeanne Crepelle, former India Country Coordinator, shares her experience on the field and how it deeply transformed her! Jeanne Crépelle, Country Coordinator, India It’s been one month and a half since I came back to France. And yet, I still have trouble realizing that this two-year chapter of my life with LP4Y is over. Actually, it is not over. Everything is just beginning as this experience deeply changed who I am. The story of each and every Youth I met and accompanied in those two years of mission surely left a mark on me. I remain truly touched by their capacity of resilience and their will to always move forward. I was amazed by Asia’s diverse forms of beauty (populations, cultures, religions, landscapes, colors, smells, flavours…), and I am sure to come back one day to Nepal, the Philippines or India where I felt so warmly welcomed. I also feel transformed by the incredible people I met and the moments I shared with them. I feel lucky and fulfilled by those amazing friendships. I truly believe in LP4Y’s actions in favor of the Youth, and I am now sure I want to keep fighting for inclusion and be part of projects making sense. I feel happy, and proud of my path at LP4Y through the responsibilities I assumed and the challenges I overcame. I feel stronger than ever with the experience in mind. This adventure as a volunteer allowed me to build and enrich my professional project, as it enabled me to understand what I always wanted to do: offer my services to others, fight against exclusion, work with the unprivileged Youth, live intercultural and international experiences, assume responsibilities, manage my personal and professional time, overcome myself, teamworking, trust myself, better handle my stress and priorities, live within a community, going back to a simpler life, develop new skills, put my listening and analysis skills into practice, feel useful… A lot of big words making sense and resonating with my mission. I feel like LP4Y met my expectations of all sorts, and even beyond. Being India’s country coordinator made me realize how valuable and important commitment was for me. I sometimes surprised myself, being so committed and pushing my limits while listening to my needs. I learned to communicate and say things when it is necessary, but also to adapt to difficult situations (lockdown, distanced pedagogy, crisis). A lot of challenges! Yet this investment was worth it: I did it not only because I was truly convinced that the LP4Y project was worthwhile, but also because of the Youth themselves. Everything was possible thanks to teamwork (#TogetherWeCan). I had never felt like this before in the professional world. I came out fully happy and grateful of this experience, which wasn’t at all a bracket in my life. I now want to find a new project where I’ll be able to grow and blossom while using what I learned on the field with LP4Y. Going on a solidarity mission means coming out of your comfort zone and ordinary lifestyle while meeting amazing people from around the world.

Gautam, a Star from Paharganj Life Project Center, shares his story and tells us more about his job at Decathlon and how he could inspire the Youth from the Green Village and the TDC Kathmandu in Nepal. Gautam Mishra, LPC Pahar Ganj, Delhi, India Hello, My name is Gautam Mishra. I am 22 years old and I was born in Gurauwajot Grant (Uttar Pradesh). I have been living in Delhi for the last 21 years, where I also studied. Before joining LP4Y, I was working in a local shop as a salesman. Now I am pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at Delhi University and I am working at Decathlon as a sport leader in the fitness department. My experience at LP4Y Before LP4Y, I did not speak English at all. For a few weeks, the other Youth made fun of me, but I started to understand, “slowly slowly”! And then I started to feel very good. I was making small sentences in my mind every day. I have learnt so much this way. I used to come by walk everyday, it is about 4/5 kilometers from my house. Since I started working in Decathlon, I often think about what my coaches taught me, because lots of things in Decathlon are related to LP4Y like: always come on time, work together, respect each other, help each other, trust each other, etc. My job at Decathlon I joined Decathlon two and a half years ago as an intern. I was coming to the store only to unload the truck and tidy up the clothes but slowly I started to help the customers, by listening and learning from other teammates. I also started to read more information about the products and ask more questions to my colleagues. To pursue my dream job (Indian Army), I asked for a part-time job but after a few months I got a permanent full-time job with more responsibilities. I got multiple job experiences in different departments like: Cardio Cycle GYM & Pilates Yoga Cross training bodybuilding Now, I am a sport leader for cross training bodybuilding (team level as equipment referent and store level as User Happiness Care chat referent). Lately, I did a digital company visit of Decathlon to the Youth of Paharganj Center. It was very good and now some of the Youth want to join Decathlon as well. From Delhi to Kathmandu I came to Nepal for a Pooja, a hindu ritual, that was promised by my maternal grandfather for me to grow safely when I was born. He did this big Pooja for me in Nepal close to the India border. So I took the opportunity to visit my former coaches in Kathmandu. As I had never been to Kathmandu before, it was a great time for me: I got a good experience, meeting new people, Youths, coaches and discovering new places! Everything was very good! I also visited the Green Village where I did computer training and testimony to the Youth. Those were good moments. They asked many questions. It was very interesting to see the different pedagogy: there are different departments where they work, it’s making them more responsible. I would like to say thank you to all the restaurant Youth who are cooking very delicious food. In the Training and Development Centre, I have seen the Little Angels Academy (nursery for the babies of Young Women who come to the center during the day). It was the first time for me because in Delhi, we don’t have this. I liked to work with all the Youth in the center and it was a funny moment when I was trying to speak in Nepali with them. And yes I tried ginger water for the first time. I learned many things new during my journey.

Meet Gerlie and hear about her incredible journey from LP4Y to EuroAsia. Gerlie Mile Eula, Green Village Calauan, The Philippines Many young people get their first office job after college. I am not one of those who had this path. I am not a college graduate. I only finished senior high school. At the time, I thought about pursuing college, but we didn’t have enough money to fulfill all my needs for college. Even if I took a lot of part-time jobs and did product selling on the side, it would not be enough. And so, my parents and I decided that I would stop school and start working. At 19 years old, I became the breadwinner of our family of 11. My mother was also sick, so I understood why we had to make a difficult decision. That is why I used our life situation as motivation. I told myself that I will not let poverty control my life. Instead of doing nothing, I needed to find a solution. I needed to stay positive and continue my dreams. I believe in myself; I know I can make it. With this, I decided to join Life Project 4 Youth, a NGO in our area. There, through training and seminars, I was coached on how to be professional. They made sure that we, the Youth in LP4Y, were ready when the time came for us to leave and find our own path. Gerlie (Third from left, middle row) with her LP4Y group. After 1 year of LP4Y training, I had to start my job search. I was nervous; I didn’t know if there would be a company that would accept me for my knowledge and skills. But, I always said to myself that if any opportunity came into my life, I would give my 100% effort. I remember getting mixed emotions on my first day to find a job. I sent out my resume to many companies and online job portals for vacancies that I thought fit my qualifications. That day, I received a phone call. I was shaking, but they said it was normal. After our conversation, the interviewer said I was not qualified; that they wanted someone who had better qualifications and has a college diploma. My heart sank. It was my first interview and I failed. But I did not let this affect me too much. From the start, I was prepared that this could happen. I accepted it right away and moved on. The next day, I had my second phone interview but still failed. They wanted someone with professional experience, which I did not have. Still, I needed to be positive and to continue my search. I’m a believer and a fighter. I needed to prove that even with my situation, I can still work. I reached my 10th phone interview, but still, I was rejected because of the same reasons. As anyone in my situation would feel, I was frustrated. It seemed that the universe did not want to give me a chance because I was not enough. My break came when I was contacted by Euroasia Executive Search, one of the companies that hosted our company visit and mock interviews while in LP4Y training. I was told I made a good impression when I was interviewed, and they wanted to hire me! I was so shocked and so happy at the same time! After all the disappointments, there was still this opportunity for me. I thought I would just keep on dreaming and hoping for something like this. But God gave it, and I am so blessed. When I started with EESI, my task and responsibilities were mainly administrative. Eventually, I realized that I wanted to be in recruitment. I knew I would be productive in recruitment. But I was also embarrassed and scared because I didn’t know if I was good enough. This was my first time to leave my comfort zone. And yet, I said yes to it. I am grateful and happy I accepted, and I am continually giving my best because I know this is the way for opportunities to come. Gerlie with the Euroasia family at their 2019 Christmas party. My job hunting experiences gave me valuable lessons, which I’d like to share with other job seekers. If you feel now what I felt before, I leave you this message: It is perfectly normal to feel hopeless at some point. We all go through this phase. I think it’s difficult to always be 100% positive about ourselves. But it’s normal to at times have doubts about ourselves, about what we are good at if we are competent or just good for nothing. What matters is that you are able to step back and that you do not let your negative emotions get the best of you. I hope that throughout your job hunting, you will hold the belief that there is a company out there willing to trust you, appreciate your efforts, and give you the opportunity that you have long wished for. Just wait for your perfect timing. And once it comes, grab it. Give your 100%. It might take longer, but trust that God has a plan for you. As long as you are motivated and you are open, believe that you deserve to receive more than you wish for. More importantly, don’t let your education level and self-doubt dictate or lead your life. That’s why you need to be strong and trust yourself first. Learn how to protect yourself from things that may give you heartaches and disappointments. In the end, you will realize that those heartaches are challenges you have actually overcome. Now, I still keep learning and being curious, and I don’t plan to stop. I know that there are still a lot of things that I need to know, and I am hopeful about my future. And wherever the opportunities take me, I will always bring all the experiences and lessons that my past taught me. Testimony released on the EESI website

Jimi Oostrum, Education Specialist, Unicef Nepal Country Office "I became aware of LP4Y in Nepal in early 2020 as UNICEF was looking at initiatives that support skill programs for adolescents in Nepal. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown that was imposed accordingly, I was not able to come and visit the project that time as was planned. However, I got reconnected with the LP4Y team during the first months of the lockdown as they reached out to see how they could support the different grassroots initiatives that had started to provide emergency support for families in need of food and sanitation supplies. The team has highly impressed me in the way they are willing to engage at the ground level and in a highly challenging context, while remaining positive and sensitive to the cultural context. The information meeting organized by LP4Y allowed me to get a better understanding of the work the organization supports and the overarching aims and objectives they pursue in terms of their projects and their goal to unleash the potential of young women in Nepal. Especially given Nepal is currently entering its demographic window of opportunity, the youth is the key to coming back from the coming crisis as well as the country getting back on track towards its long term goals." "Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has." – Margaret Mead

Jeanne Vigouroux, Project Manager in LP4Y Lab in New York, goes back to LP4Y's side event focusing on the engagement of the corporate world in Youth inclusion, during the UN's Youth Forum 2021! As you now all know, in 2020, LP4Y received the special consultative status of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), recognizing LP4Y as an expert, as a representative of the civil society to the UN, carrying the voices of Youth coming from extreme poverty and exclusion. With this recognition, LP4Y is able to access the United Nations resources, to participate in conferences and international events by presenting written and oral statements. This is a great opportunity to share, from our grassroots experience, best practices and innovative solutions developed during the last twelve years with our partners. The 10th ECOSOC Youth Forum in the United Nations took place on April 7-8th. Within the framework of the Forum, LP4Y organized a side event as a call for action, focusing on the “Key involvement of the corporate world towards Youth inclusion”. Convinced that non-profit and corporate ecosystems have to collaborate for change, LP4Y acted, from the beginning, jointly with companies for a more effective response to exclusion and precarity issues. Listening to the voices of the Youth is essential, especially the excluded and underserved ones. They are the future change makers. Since 2009, LP4Y has accompanied out of school Youth, street Youth, young mothers, differently-abled Youth, inmates, etc. These are the voices we need to hear. If policies and nonprofits play a crucial role in Youth inclusion, companies do as well. Therefore, LP4Y organized a side event to give the floor to the Youth to share their professional integration experience and explain what they expect from the corporate sector. Our side event highlighted diversity and inclusion matters when it comes to recruitment and professional integration. Underserved Youth and companies team members discussed the importance of corporate action and engagement. To introduce the webinar, Susana Puerto, Youth employment specialist at the ILO (International Labour Organisation), based in Geneva, reminded us that Youth will be the ones carrying scars from this economic crisis. This is why the ILO called for an urgent and large scale and targeted policy response to support Youth. As she said, change will not be achieved only because of the will of Governments or the United Nations, or some corporations, but by a collective action, and surveys show that interventions bringing together different stakeholders are more effective than otherwise, including on labour market outcomes of Youth. Youth employment interventions, particularly training programmes, have to understand the needs of employers and the productive sector in general, to integrate it in their training curricula. Susana highlighted the fact that we should listen to corporations who are committed to generate positive change, and hear from Youth as well who are clearly part of the solution. And so we then heard from Dian Safitri, a young woman from Jakarta, Indonesia, LP4Y graduate. Raised in the slum of Kampung Sawah in a modest 5-members family, her parents have an informal micro-business : selling mattresses and pillows. She explained to us about her background : back in 2020, when the pandemic showed up, she was feeling under pressure because she felt insecure when she wanted to go outside. After LP4Y training, Dian started to do her job search, being so eager to reach her target job as a graphic designer or a content creator, because she is passionate about design. After 1 month, Dian felt prepared and confident for an interview. She started a few days later. She is working from 9 am to 5pm, has free weekends, and the job description matches her salary. This is the beginning of her journey. From here, she hopes to gain more experience, more knowledge, more relations, all that could contribute to her self-development through her professional life, her corporate environnement helping a lot. Indeed, from the corporate side, we listened to a general testimony from Deepak Kumar, who has been working for GE Healthcare for the last 6 years. Based in Bangalore, India, he is a design engineer, and is volunteering part-time with LP4Y, providing professional training on soft skills to the Youth. He told us how this experience changed his approach to poverty and exclusion, how he became aware of a situation happening in his own country and got involved by getting to know the local communities and the Youth. For him, in urban cities, corporate companies come right after Governments when it comes to Youth inclusion action. Corporates' involvement can bring in rapid changes because of their huge presence. It also influences a lot of people within the company by creating a channel through which they can help marginalized communities and it also lays the foundations for corporations to look for talents. That is the mindset of Decathlon : Raju Sharma, a former LP4Y Youth, working at Decathlon in New Delhi since 2017 as an Inbound Operations Team Member, and Kunal Gujar, the Outbound Logistics Manager in the Mumbai warehouse of Decathlon, told us about the importance of inclusive recruitment from the corporate world. Kunal is the one who recruited Raju 4 years ago in the Decathlon team in Delhi. Either in retail or logistics, they always feel they should enhance diversity in their teams with people from different backgrounds. For Kunal, what is interesting is that with people like Raju, there is always a different angle of thinking during team brainstormings - which is very rich. After recruitment, the mentoring is a crucial aspect of Youth integration as well. Both based in Manila, Philippines, Lorraine, global HR team leader in CGI, has been the mentor of Nila, LP4Y graduate, raised in the slum of Tondo, who joined CGI in October 2017 and reports daily to Lorraine. They offered us a dialogue about their professional collaboration and the importance of mentoring to accompany the newcomers towards their professional development and confidence. Nila explained that her team has been very helpful and they taught her all the things that she needed to know. Her superiors have been very considerate and supportive as well, and very patient with her and her challenges. Indeed, as Lorraine mentioned, mentors’ role is to be by her side, ensuring she keeps the passion and motivation burning, and to fuel it up further. Member of CGI for 14 years already, and still counting for more years to come, Lorraine told us such motivation rooted from relevant guidance from the beginning. Best practices sharing, open communication, diversity and team playing attitude has always been crucial for her, and that is what she teaches her teammates. Finally, Jérôme Lemouchoux - CEO of FoodChéri, French subsidiary of the global company Sodexo, and Chairman of the Youth Inclusion Network (YIN) - concluded this event, stating that it confirmed his point of view regarding the key role the corporate world has to play to help the Youth achieve their life project plan. When we think about Youth inclusion, we often rely on NGOs, public authorities, education, etc. Jérôme believes we underestimate the impact the companies can have on their life and the opportunity they have recruiting these Young adults. Far from the clichés he had from people living in slums, Jérôme, while welcoming Youth in Sodexo Philippines, realized that working with them will not only be good for them but it would be a great asset for his company. For him, the Youth are resilient, full of energy with a genuine desire to learn and to grow. On top of that, Jérôme was also amazed by the impact of this initiative on his team : many of the team members expressed how proud they were to be part of Sodexo. The YIN became a network of companies facing the same challenges, where they can share their experience or best practices from the experience of others. It is easier to involve a company being a member of a group of corporations fighting against exclusion. This network grew month after month to reach today more than 20 companies in the Philippines. In the last 4 years, it opened in Vietnam, Nepal and India. Jérôme encourages companies to join them! To put it in a nutshell, this event showed that inclusion is a common and global matter: corporations must join the public sector, policy-makers, nonprofits and social organizations to work together to overcome this challenge. In this second side event organized by LP4Y, we highlighted the key role of corporations in the professional and social integration of the Youth. Our grassroot experience shows that companies can be involved at the local level and have a key role to play. We look forward to working or partnering with additional corporate partners in the future to empower the Youth. They are our future, so let's give them the means to achieve their dreams. Thank you to all the panelists and participants in this event! Together we can!

Meet different actors taking actions to make the Little Angels Academy alive in Kathmandu, Chennai and Tondo. Discover this amazing initiative through the daily life at the nursery LAA TONDO- Anariza Cajodo, Nursery Leader I am Anariza Cajodo, I am 30 years old and I live in Tondo, Manila. I am a former Youth of LP4Y. I was part of the team Aurora, who made hand-stitched mice and wallets in the Life Project Center in Tondo. I have been working as the nursery coordinator of all Little Angels Academy in the Philippines for five years now. As a LAA coordinator I manage the organisation, finance and pedagogy. The Little Angels Academy is very important for children and mothers, as we guide them, take care of the children and provide them with pedagogical activities such as educational activities, cooking and music, gardening and sports. Usually, we organize an excursion for all children every two months. Yet, because of the pandemic we postponed it . Children follow a healthy diet, and we teach the children how to be independent. We also still provide mothers with diapers, so they can maintain a good quality of hygiene for their children and save more money. As a young mother I know that it's hard to find a job if you know that no one will take care of your children. That is why I want to be a bridge for my co Youth in LP4Y to get their dreams and we are very thankful that LP4Y have a Little Angels Academy to support the mothers and children achieve their dreams! LAA KATHMANDU- Nirmala Magar, LAA Coordinator Hello Namaste, I am Nirmala. I am Coordinator in the LP4Y Training Development Center in Kathmandu. Today I will do a testimony about our Little Angels Academy. What is the LAA? The LAA means LITTLE ANGELS ACADEMY. It is a nursery at the TDC (Training Development Center) LP4Y located in Jagritinagar Tinkune in Kathmandu for the babies of the mothers from lp4y youth. In our LAA, we have 13 babies : from 0 to 9 months : 3 babies. from 1 years to 4 years old : 10 babies. We manage a team of 2 people, one nurse and one youth in our nursery. My responsibilities are : To take Care of babies. To create a clean and safe environment in the nursery. To manage the finance and administrative : I manage the cash book, scan the bills and receipts. the daily Activities of the nursery. To manage cooking for baby food. To keep the toys together. To make nursery planning. What am I proud of? First of all I have good support from my team. I am very happy because I can take care of the full decoration of the nursery to make it a nice place for the babies. I also welcomed a new nurse. What do I like about my job? I like to care about the babies. I like cooking the food. I like nursery decoration,teaching the baby etc... Thank you! LAA CHENNAI LAA PRÉSENTATION Hemalatha & Saranya, LAA Assistants Vijayalakshmi Tamilviji - Youth in Responsibility step

Meet the Super Women in Malwani, being trained first about Women Health and then handovering their knowledge to the community TDC Malwani, Care 4 Change, Mumbai, India What is my MEI? Ans : My MEI Periods training Why do we do it? Ans :Because in India some women do not know what is the period, what we should do : what we should eat and how we should live. We give more knowledge about periods. Where we do it? Ans: We are trained online, Vanessa gave us online training and Sugandha also gave us two training inside the center and one more training inside the center. We want now to give training outside of the center. What are your challenges ? Ans : Our challenges are to do trainings outside in big companies and for their collaborator to get more answers during survey, to be experts about periods topic, to get all the new youth to have the knowledge about periods and to feel comfortable in the team. Why do you like to do it ? Ans : Because it is important to have knowledge about periods we feel that it is useful, we have the opportunity to speak in front of a lot of people and it builds our self-confidence, the topic of periods is very important for all girls and women, because we can meet a lot of different trainers from everywhere to help us How does it help you to improve yourself ? Ans : We feel more confident to speak in front of a lot of people, we have more knowledge about our body and we help other women to know more about it so we feel proud of our work Video : Trainers : Vanessa Siverls - CEO at BU Periods Sugandha - Founder of EcoFemme . The Youth from Care 4 Change Team !

When natural disasters struck communities, LP4Y's motto "Together We can" is more than ever relevant to support each other! Genesis of the project In 2014, the Typhoon Ramassun hit the municipality of Calauan in the Philippines where the first Green Village is located. The local constructions were not meant to resist a storm of this magnitude and among the 28 Youth who were currently following the PTE half of them witnessed the partial or total destruction of their home. In front of this situation LP4Y decided to launch a dedicated initiative named “Home Projects” in regard to organizing and financing the reconstruction of the damaged houses as a collective project. Purposes of the Project - In order to be able to follow the PTE in suitable conditions a Youth needs a safe home. Moreover, Empower the Youth by giving them the opportunity to create and lead by themselves a common project. - The renovation project is done by the Youth during their free time (vacation / weekend). It creates a “Together we can spirit” and have an important team building effect. They are the one deciding for the action plan (houses to rebuild, what work, quotations, etc.) Two Projects (among others) that benefited from the Home Project Initiative : What Happened in Tondo, Manilla, The Philippines ? A residential area in Happyland, Tondo, Manila was engulfed by fire on Saturday morning, April 18,2020. The fire broke out at 7:31 a.m. in Barangay 105, Zone 8, and quickly spread. Road 10 has been unpassable as 28 BFP fire trucks and fire volunteers' trucks proceeded to the area to respond to the fire. Residents also occupied half of the road as they tried to bring out what belongings they could save from their homes. A total of 500 families were affected by the fire, and 200 houses were damaged in the highly populated area.Based on initial investigation by the Philippine National Police, the fire started on the second floor of the house located in Happyland. Hopefully, no one died in the fire but a lot of houses burned. THE BLOOM TEAM actions “We are an LP4Y program located in Tondo, Manila that counts 18 Youths from Happyland, Aroma and around. We are specialized in hand sewing business, producing a catalogue for young mothers and babies . Here in Bloom Team, we decided to help one of our fellow Youth here in LP4Y to build her own house, so that she has a place to live. She is one of the affected of fire in Happyland Tondo, Manila last April 18,2020. For that, we organize following a schedule by groups to do this House Project, working on week-ends . Testimony of Parina, Kathmandu, Népal WHO? Namaste, I am Parina Rai. I am 20 years old. I live in Sinamangal, in Kathmandu, Nepal. I joined LP4Y 2019/9/10 and I am now in the Responsibility step. I am married. I have one daughter. My daughter is very small (10 months). There are six members in my family. There is my husband, my mother in law, my father in law, my daughter and my brother in law. My husband’s job is to load and unload stuff in a small bus but the job is not permanently fixed. Sometimes, he has work and sometimes he doesn't have. Our family status and financial situation is not good. We belong from a poor family. It is too expensive for us to repair the house because we don’t have much money and we don’t have a proper job too. It is really hard for us to survive. WHERE? In the slum area of Sinamangal, under the bridge, 2 meter far from the river, there is my House. There are so many problems during the rainy season. When rain starts to fall down from the sky, water starts to come into my house. Also, when the river is going high the flood starts to come into my house from the wall and from the outside. WHAT & WHY? In my house, there are many problems because of heavy rains. In the monsoon season when the heavy rain starts, the river is high and flood comes into my house from everywhere: roof, window, wall, door and in front of the ground. There is also an underground slab of dusty liquid which joined from another house and when it starts raining it overflows and fills my room. (In the first picture, this is one of the 3 entrances of my house and in the second picture we can see that the river is just behind my friend) Outside there is an up wall but the wall is small that flood comes into the house. On the floor there is no plaster so when water falls on the floor it is very dirty and not dry. In the iron steel from the roof, there are small holes everywhere. When rain starts, then water comes in bed and on the ground. The bamboo of the roof is also old. We need to change the bamboo because we don't know when the bamboo will fall down. (See below the picture) CONSTRUCTION First we have to collect all the materials (cement, brick, bamboo, iron steel). After that, we need to build up the wall outside, change the iron steel, bamboo, and plaster in the floor. THE TEAM For the construction I’ll do it with my husband. The coach will also join after the LPC hours. Also our teammates will help. Support from our partner : When they decide to take action for the Youth on-site. Hello ! I'm Margaux, I work in the sustainable development department of Groupe SEB (the world reference in small household equipment) in France. Before joining this group, I volunteered for 3,5 years for LP4Y in the Philippines and in India. At the end of my mission, I wanted to continue acting at my level in the corporate world as I think companies have a huge role to play concerning environmental, societal and social issues. As Groupe SEB had been supporting LP4Y for a few years, I knew they had great values as well as strong social and environmental commitments. Today, I don't directly work on philanthropic projects, but as an employee I had the opportunity to apply to an internal call for projects in order to get funds and/or products for a project which is important to me. When I heard that the slum areas in Tondo had been devastated by a huge fire, it really upset me as I spent much time there at some point of my mission and got close to a few young mothers living there. So when I realized I could get funds to help some youth get a house back, I didn't hesitate ! Of course, it's not much, but I am happy to know that today, they can live with their families under a roof. Also, as the Youth really marked my mind during my mission through their energy, their resilience and their daring, and I still wanted to act in France I now mentor a young girl through another organization in order to help her achieve her dreams and life project plans.

Claire-Marie and Alexia tell us more about the Youth Inclusion Network and underline the importance of committed companies in the integration of excluded Young Adults. Claire-Marie Beyet, Project Manager YIN Philippines The Youth Inclusion Network : Let's work together for the future of the Youth! The YIN is a network of companies committed to the inclusion of Youth from excluded backgrounds. The network brings together socially progressive companies that wish to reduce poverty and fight exclusion. Created in March 2016, in the Philippines, at the initiative of Life Project For Youth Foundation, the YIN is now implanted in Vietnam (2018), Nepal and India (2021). Bangladesh, Europe and the USA may also soon join the network... We are 2 Project Managers (PM) taking care of the network. Our main challenges? Recruiting new companies, answering to national and international needs from the companies (COVID-19 pandemic and employment for instance) and remaining as attractive as possible! To date the YIN gathers 35 generous companies that are willing to increase the employment of the excluded youth, fight against exclusion and reduce poverty in general. Our role as PM is to interact with each company, to organise activities with them (company visits, training, mock interviews, …). A real life-changing experience as it allows us to prepare and facilitate Youth Inclusion while learning from all these companies (Ikea, Decathlon, Sodexo,...)! The last international event we organised was in February, the opening of the YIN in India. 60 participants from different countries, some amazing testimonies from Youth and CEOs/HR on youth inclusion, and high level debates: the perfect combination for a successful event! More recently, at a national level, we had the pleasure of organising with H&M Philippines a company visit for the Youth of multiples NGOs. This online event (COVID-19...) allowed 148 youth to take part in the visit! For more details about this initiative and how to join it: https://www.yinglobal.org/ - contact@yinglobal.org

I am my own peak to reach: 21kms to celebrate myself on women’s international rights day. Puja Dhangana, Green Village Kathmandu, Nepal My Professional Training of Entrepreneur at Green Village (GV) was over with a blink of an eye, and yet I really recall my arrival at Green Village. I graduated when International women’s day was just around the corner. I had heard the news about various events being organized to mark the event and salute women across Kathmandu. It saddens me to think that every year there are hundreds of events on this day and still no real change occurs that I can consider a change for the betterment of women on the whole. As far as I know, the government of Nepal has brought many schemes for women. Women are allocated seats on public buses and in schools and government offices but the way women are viewed has still not changed. I almost feel like people are incapable of change. For instance let’s take the gender pay gap. There are so many indifferences that can’t even begin to describe ! There are women who speak up against these monstrosities but there are uncountable numbers of them who do not dare to do so. This women’s day I was thinking what should I gift myself? And then my coaches at LP4Y told me about this run in Sindhupalchowk. My heart and mind had only one unanimous reaction : I Have To Go ! I did not have running gear but motivation, I had plenty. As soon as I put my concerns forward, Pauline happily helped me by providing the sports gear. I love doing sports and my heart was filled with joy at the possibility of doing this run and to add to this I received a video of Mira Rai from a friend. I was speechless when I watched the video. The humility, the motivation, the energy to change not just her own life but the lives of so many young women! How deeply she has experienced life. I was overjoyed at the proof of such an exemplary nepali woman. You can find the video here. Bright and early morning of 7th March brought with it it’s promises of good weather and a safe journey to sindhupalchok. I travelled with Catalyst Emilie till Ratnapark and from there we were with Catalyst Pauline and Mr. Ram. We reached sindhupalchok safe and sound and rested ourselves at the Last Resort. The journey was filled with discussions about books and our common love for hiking in the beautiful hills of Nepal. Life has a funny way of working things out doesn’t it? Bungee jumping is in my bucket list for someday and here I was at the last resort .. Pauline told me she has had the experience of bungee twice already. But for me, right now all I could afford was imagining myself bungee jumping and imagining is what i did. Like I said, life has a funny way of working out. I couldn’t believe myself when I found us in the presence of the famous Mira Rai. We offered our namaste and later that evening after talking about social work we again found ourselves sharing a chat with Mira Rai together with the young women from her initiative.We couldn’t miss on the chance to introduce LP4Y. An introduction about the Mira Rai Initiative was exchanged. We shared a good dinner together. The evening was extraordinary. The night sky was clear and the ambience was amazing but most importantly I was so happy at the thought that Nepal is soon going to have so many young, motivated, resilient women who will change the face of this country for good. As lovely as the evening was, we needed proper rest for the run the following day. So we put ourselves to sleep and woke up as early as 5:15, had our breakfast and prepared ourselves for the run. The run was set to begin at 7 but alas with the nepalese time mentality, I wasn't surprised when the actual event began at 9. Nevertheless, I met many young women and had a chance to share brief moments of chat with everyone. Many asked me if I did this often. I said, sometimes I used to run when I was at home in Kavre in the morning but this 21km run was my first undertaking. Some were surprised and some questioned me if I thought I could do this. I realized i had not asked myself this question but i simply replied, ‘I want to challenge myself.’ To be honest, this conversation was energizing me even more as much as the environment there was. The most awaited moment was here soon enough. The run began. Everything went smoothly in the beginning but as time progressed the run became much more tough. I started feeling heavy and tired. The journey in itself wasn’t a piece of cake. I tried my level best but the walks and runs in the roads of Kavre had done nothing to prepare me for this ultimate challenge. But there was one thing that rang in my mind like a mantra: you got to run. Run. run. The scenery was like something out of a painting. The hills, the terrace farms, the villages, I wanted to stop running and admire the scenery. I really did. Under my breath, I kept saying ‘oh how beautiful’. I really have never understood why it is that time flies when you are enjoying something. The run was difficult but i was enjoying the pain. Do you know how they say, pain is so close to pleasure? I guess this was one of those pain-pleasure moments for me. I had reached the destination finally and when I did, the winner had been announced. But I felt like I was the winner. And in this moment i realized, if i win against all odds in life, this is where pleasures of life begin. I didn’t realize when the 21km race was over. The race felt like forever and yet went by in the blink of an eye. The lessons I learnt however will forever remain in my heart. ‘ If i never fall i will never know i am capable of getting myself up again. If i never speak i will never know the power of my words. If i never fly i will never realize i have wings and if i never fail i will never know i can be a winner if i try.’ I have celebrated many women’s day and by far this is the one that will be engraved in my heart and mind. I gifted myself a 21km run ! one important takeaway from this women’s day for me is that one only gets weak when one believes one is fundamentally weak. This perceived weakness has a cure ! Women can be strong when we enable ourselves physically, mentally,economically and spiritually. Empower yourself dear women and your family will never have to worry when you don’t get back home at 9. I am eternally grateful towards LP4Y, towards you dear Catalysts Pauline and Emilie for having presented me with this unparalleled opportunity to empower myself this women’s day and taking such good care of me throughout this event ! Thank you LP4Y and thank you life !!

LP4Y centers take the opportunity to raise awareness about gender equality on the occasion of International Women's Day. LPC Cagayan De Oro, Philippines LPC Cilincing - Jakarta, Indonesia TDC Sangam Vihar - Delhi, India TDC Howrah - Kolkata, India On the occasion of International Women’s Day, centers in different countries organized debates on the theme of “Gender Equality”. This was in line with LP4Y’s desire to empower Young women, and make them aware of their worth and potential in the professional world. Partners were invited to join the Youth and give their insights, especially on the importance of gender equality in the corporate world. Let’s first dive into the introduction speech given by Sneha Shaw, 19 yo, Management step, and Sangita Singh, 18 yo, Responsibility step in the TDC Howrah, Kolkata (India) : International Women’s Rights Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call for action to accelerate gender parity. Before our centers were LPC, Life Project Centers, and now we are in TDC, which means Training & Development Center. Before it was a 9 months training now it is a 6 months training. We have to choose our new Micro Economic Initiative for the community, about what they really need. For example, in Bangalore the MEI is to give computer training to the girls and women of the community. In Mumbai, the MEI advises the community on what they should eat for good health and where they can go if they have any health problems. Team spirit is important for the work. It is an attitude that enables people to work together. The team spirit is important in a work environment, for the efficiency of the team and to make the company stronger. Having a strong team spirit among the colleagues will push their motivation. In LP4Y there are 70% of girls and 30% of boys. It is meant for girls equality in the center. ‘ Now, let’s discover the main ideas raised by speeches and debates in different LP4Y centers and countries ! TDC Sangam Vihar - Delhi What are the inequalities between men and women you have noticed in your personal life (family ,friends …), in your professional life ,in your country (access to employment ,freedom etc.)? - We face inequalities in personal life, girls are not allowed to go outside alone. - Housework and “food work” are only for girls and not for boys, that is inequality. - In the professional world, we have inequality because girls have fewer wages, fewer savings We need to start changes in our own house. We can change the task distribution. When we are at home, we should think “this is our home, we have to work together”, there should not be « this is my task ». When does it start ? - Gender discrimination starts during childhood, when you are a girl you have pressure. - Difference starts at the age of 0, you are not even born, you have colours assigned. LPC Cagayan De Oro - Philippines Testimony “ We learned from the video of Mehek Khanum, from Bangalore in India about the inequalities between men and women. She said that in Dj halli area, there is discrimination and inequality between men and women. Men have the right to study but women do not have. After 16 or 17 of age women are forced to get married. They have no rights to study and go for a job that is why gender equality is important. Here in LP4Y in Cagayan De Oro we never felt any difference between men and women. We work together as much as we can. We invited Ms.Hevah Salic who is the Information Officer of the Commission on Human Rights-RegionX. We learned a lot about gender equality, like “ sex cannot be changed, but a gender it can be. ” About the debate : As a man what do you think you could do in your personal life to improve gender equality ? Always respect all genders. For example, if there is a gay front of us, you not bully that person you should show him respect. How would be the world with gender equality? What will be the benefits for women and for society ? If the world could have gender equality it will be astonished, men and women will both love their country more, there won’t be trust issues linked to gender. It will have a big impact and bring unity, everyone can benefit from gender equality. TDC Howrah - Kolkata, India (Inspiring quotes) “Equality is not in the mindset of our society but it needs to change. ” Ankit Gupta, Urban Food Company " It's not about women, it's about women and men being equal." Carla, Catalyst “ We have to check within ourselves, in our families. How do we look at women? Are you sure you look at a woman as equal? That is the start. “ Puneet Kapur, external trainer " We should talk about humanity, not genders." Animesh, Next is You LPC Cilincing - Jakarta, Indonesia The debate highlights the ideas below : Gender equality is also affected by culture and tradition One of the gender stereotypes is that men should be the "breadwinner", the primary figure who supports the family financially The challenges that women often faced are: Stereotype Competitiveness Misconception Government regulation The benefits of gender equality (once it's achieved) are : Harmony in life (women and men can work together equally) More opportunities for women and men CONCLUSION : This day was a great success among the Youth and partners. It allowed Youth of LP4Y to raise their voice on gender equality, confront their experiences in both the professional and personal lives but also see the remaining challenges!