The Southern African Alliance on Youth Employment (SAAYE) is a participatory alliance which began in February 2016 as a project of the APEX Alliance – the Economic Justice Network of FOCCISA (EJN), Southern African Trade Union Co-ordinating Council (SATUCC) and SADC Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (SADC C NGO). SAAYE advocates for policies and actions that promote youth employment and entrepreneurship in the SADC region and operates in 9 countries (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe). SAAYE’s uniqueness is located in it being a highly relevant apolitical platform for youth-driven advocacy work. The SAAYE was formed after a realisation that most countries in the SADC region are experiencing high youth unemployment and vulnerability ratios.
SAAYE stands as a beacon for youth empowerment across the region, though it adapts its operations to meet the unique needs of each member country. In Lesotho, SAAYE functions as a central coordinating body for youth-led and youth-focused organizations, serving as a critical platform for amplifying the voices and concerns of young people.
SAAYE plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the perspectives of the youth are not only heard but also acted upon. Within Lesotho, the organization’s members are strategically clustered into various sectors, each aligned with specific mandates to address key areas of youth interest and development. These sectors include:
SAAYE Sports Sector
SAAYE Agriculture Sector
SAAYE Arts and Culture Sector
SAAYE Education Sector
SAAYE Entrepreneurship Sector
SAAYE Health Sector
SAAYE Governance Sector
SAAYE Environment Sector
Through these clusters, SAAYE-Ls continues to foster sustainable development and create opportunities for youth from the within the entire country and beyond the borderlines, making a tangible impact on the future of Lesotho.