2022 Seed Grant Award Problem Statements 

Decent Work and Economic Growth / Education

Problem #7:  Lack of Decent Work Opportunities Leading to Unsafe Migration and Trafficking, Especially of Youth, Women, and Girls

Country/Region of execution: Laos
Collaborating Organization: World Concern
World Concern, an international relief and development agency founded in 1955, focuses on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable within society, providing capacity-building for partners while having the flexibility to respond to disasters through relief and rehabilitation assistance. Currently, World Concern implements roughly $30 million in programming in its ten country offices located throughout Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Since 1991, WCDO has received, implemented, and administered grants in excess of $59 million from USAID. WCDO headquarters is based in Seattle, WA, and the Laos country office is located in Pakse City, Champasak Province.
Problem Statement Description:  This problem is associated with SDG 5: Achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls and SDG 8: Promoting inclusive economic growth and decent work. The growth in labor productivity in Lao PDR did not generate sufficient decent employment opportunities for the Lao people. As defined by the ILO, some 84% of those who work are in vulnerable employment since they are own-account workers and unpaid family workers. The high level of vulnerable employment is driven by the agriculture and fishery sector, sales workers, and elementary occupations, and this often means low-paying jobs and poor working conditions. Lao migrants – a large source of income for families in southern Lao PDR – are also a vulnerable group. These migrants make up around 8% of the working population, mostly in low-paid, labor-intensive work in neighboring Thailand. Women generally occupy the lower rungs of the labor market. The share of women in wage employment is low in all sectors, including non-agricultural sectors. The low share of women in wage employment, relative to men, is associated with lower education levels. Women are generally less likely to be employed in decent work. Although an equal share of men and women make up the working population, women are more excluded from formal sectors and social protection. Those classified as service, shop, and market sales workers are largely women. Although women have significant roles in agriculture, they have less access to and control of farming inputs and credit. World Concern has invested in integrated livelihood and education projects to help communities, especially youth and women, improve their socio-economic situation and not resort to unsafe migration. However, the development gains have been reverted because of the economic impact brought by COVID-19. With this, World Concern proposes a training, referral, and reporting technology that is gender-sensitive, simple yet responsive. This technology will be composed of interactive life skills modules and app-based skills assessment to help youth, women, and girls identify their skills and potentials and help them connect with the necessary opportunities and services available, among others.