Support for Youth Transitioning from Care and Youth Empowerment

SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia is advocating for and with young people on the need to recognise and protect of the rights of young care leavers in the national legal and regulatory framework.  As part of this collaboration, young care leavers are now recognised in the draft national youth policy as a section of the youth that need special protection. The Ministry of Women and Social Affairs has drafted a national minimum care leaving standards. The document aims to standardize the leaving care process and after care support provided by all alternative childcare providers in Ethiopia as well as government and public institutions that provide essential services such as the health, education, and livelihood sectors. It also sets the minimum age of leaving care in Ethiopia to be 18 years.