Thirteen youth organizations from Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus received $235 000 in grants today, from a World Bank led initiative supporting innovative development projects. The organizations are the winners of Youth Development Marketplace (DM) 2008, a competitive grant program of the World Bank that funds innovative, sustainable, small-scale development projects that target youth and have the potential to be expanded or replicated elsewhere. This year the competition was focused on the theme, ‘Choose Your Future Today: Improving Work Opportunities and Developing Healthy Lifestyles for Young People.’

“Innovation is a key driver for development. The Country Development Marketplace funds and showcases innovative development solutions to the problems of young people in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine,” said Martin Raiser, Chief Economist for the World Bank in Ukraine. “We are really excited to see the enthusiasm, the new ideas and the professionalism of the participants.”

The participants’ projects target a range of complex issues within this year’s theme, from boosting employment opportunities to creating awareness around HIV and AIDS. There were 476 proposals submitted in total, from which forty were selected to participate in the finals in Kiev.

The event was coupled with a workshop where participants from the different youth organizations were able to discuss the issues of unemployment and health and share ideas and solutions to common problems. The result is that organizations build each others knowledge, and the Bank is able to take advantage of access to development practitioners at the grassroots level.

The World Bank contributed $200 000 in funding to the event, and partnered with Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Mobile Operator МТS contributed $20,000 and $12,500 respectively.

Winners (Belarus organizations)

Belarusian ideas invited to present projects at the final event. The organizations are looking for support to implement their ideas