In the arid counties of Turkana and Garissa, where refugee camps and host communities sit side by side, thousands of young people are about to gain access to something many thought impossible: a clear pathway to decent work. The International Labour Organization is rolling out the PROSPECTS programme, a bold initiative that harnesses digital technology to connect refugee and host-community youth with employment opportunities through a local-services marketplace. It's a quiet revolution in places where economic mobility has long felt out of reach.
The stakes here matter deeply. Across East Africa, young refugees and their host-community neighbors face overlapping barriers to employment—limited access to job networks, geographic isolation, and the systemic gaps that come with displacement. In Turkana and Garissa, these challenges are compounded by remoteness and limited economic infrastructure. Yet both counties are home to vibrant communities with skills to offer and pressing local needs to fill. The PROSPECTS programme recognizes this: instead of waiting for distant opportunities, it's building opportunity from within.
The ILO is now actively recruiting qualified non-profit organizations to serve as implementing partners, bringing the digital marketplace to life on the ground. These partners will be responsible for the crucial work of connecting youth with decent work opportunities, navigating the practical and human dimensions of employment access. This isn't about uploading job listings to a website and walking away. It requires organizations that understand the context—the languages spoken, the skills valued locally, the trust required to reach young people in camps and surrounding communities. The application deadline for interested non-profits is June 13, 2026, with submissions required by 23:59 EAT (East Africa Time).
What makes this approach distinctive is its dual focus. PROSPECTS isn't just about refugee youth. By explicitly engaging host-community young people alongside refugee populations, the programme creates shared economic opportunity and builds resilience across both groups. It acknowledges that in these settings, economic integration isn't a zero-sum game—it's an opportunity for mutual benefit and social cohesion. A digital marketplace accessible to both populations can shift local economies in ways that benefit everyone.
The technical architecture matters too. A local-services marketplace powered by digital tools allows youth to offer skills—from carpentry to hairdressing, translation to tutoring—and connect with customers in their immediate geographic area. For young people with limited mobility or resources, this creates employment that doesn't require migration or expensive transportation. It keeps economic value circulating within communities rather than draining it away.
The programme represents a significant shift in how international development thinks about refugee integration. Rather than viewing refugees as recipients of aid, PROSPECTS positions them as economic actors with dignity and agency. The same applies to host-community youth, many of whom face their own employment barriers. By creating a shared digital infrastructure, the ILO is betting that technology, paired with strong local implementation, can unlock economic potential that already exists—it just needs the right platform and support.
As these partnerships take shape, Turkana and Garissa will become laboratories for what's possible when digital innovation meets grassroots understanding of local needs. The organizations selected will carry significant responsibility, but also extraordinary opportunity: to help reshape the economic futures of thousands of young people in two of Kenya's most marginalized regions.