How A Student Team in Zimbabwe Aims to Improve Youth Employment

The YouthMADE Festival is a global celebration of youth creativity and innovation that invites students, educators, and advocates to showcase youth-led work. Leading up to the 2025 YouthMADE Festival, we are sharing a series of stories highlighting youth creators and changemakers around the world who are putting their hands, hearts, and minds toward projects and causes they care about.

This story is by Sindiso Songo, a graduate of Eveline High School in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. In this story, Sindiso shares how her team garnered their community’s support for their Viejobs project aimed at reducing youth unemployment.

The catalyst for the VieJobs initiative was our team’s mission to positively impact the youth in our community. In developing the project, we thoroughly analyzed the key challenges facing local youth and identified unemployment as a major contributing factor. We created the VieJobs project to construct an effective solution to the youth unemployment crisis.

VieJobs Personnel Services Agency connects secondary and high school learners ages 16-20 to gig work and light entrepreneurship opportunities through a user-friendly website and application. We also provide financial literacy sessions to young people. Learners then gain work experience and the necessary life skills thereby reducing youth unemployment in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

We presented the VieJobs idea to different organizations and received very positive feedback. Our teachers were fully supportive of the idea as well. It was an exciting process to get VieJobs off the ground with the help and backing of these important partner organizations.

We first presented the VieJobs idea to Emergination Africa National Business Case Competition. We were fortunate to take third place, which earned us funding for the project. With this initial support from Emergination Africa, we were then able to really begin working on developing the VieJobs project. The funding and recognition from this early competition victory was crucial in allowing us to get the project off the ground. They also provided equipment and guidance for the project. Their step by step mentorship enabled the project to become what it is today.

We are truly grateful for the support from so many organizations: Our school Eveline High School supported us and introduced the opportunity to be entrepreneurs. The Chronicle newspaper covered our team twice in their publication. Junior Achievement Zimbabwe enabled us to present our company at the provincial and national level competitions. The City of Bulawayo allowed us to exhibit our VieJobs project at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair. Finally, the Ciena Solutions Challenge and Digital Promise supported us with additional funding for the project and international recognition.

My teacher Jobert Ngwenya contributed immensely to the VieJobs project. He held frequent discussions with me and tracked the progress of the project, providing the team with a great deal of support. In addition to Jobert, we had two other teachers, Mavis Vhiya and Gladmore Chadzamira, who also supported us and the team through different roles that came together seamlessly to drive the company’s progress.

“If we could help young people better focus on their education and life planning, it would set them up for long-term success. The mission of empowering youth was at the heart of the VieJobs model, beyond just being a jobs platform. I was passionate about scaling this model nationally and then globally to have the greatest impact.”

Through working on the VieJobs project, I have gained valuable skills in entrepreneurship, project management, stakeholder engagement, social impact strategy, and leadership. Presenting our idea at national competitions taught me how to effectively pitch and communicate our vision. Working with organizations like Emergination Africa, Junior Achievement Zimbabwe, and Digital Promise has allowed me to develop my business planning, financial management, partnership building, and leadership capabilities.

Working on the VieJobs project has taught me a lot about myself. I’ve developed greater confidence in my abilities as a leader and social entrepreneur. I’ve also become more adaptable, resilient, and adept at problem-solving under pressure. Most importantly, this experience has deepened my commitment to creating positive social change and making a tangible difference in the lives of young people.

My advice for other students working on a similar social impact project would be:

• Stay laser-focused on your core mission and values—they will be your North Star.
• Build a diverse, passionate team that complements your own skill sets.
• Actively seek out mentors and supporters who can provide guidance and open doors.
• Be prepared to encounter challenges, but approach them with creativity and persistence.
• Celebrate small wins along the way, as they will fuel your momentum.Having a selfless team focused on the collective success of the group rather than individual achievements, and contributing their time, skills, and resources without expectation of personal gain or recognition.

• Have a story about youth creativity and innovation? Share your story using the form on YouthMADE.org or send an email to youthmade@digitalpromise.org.
• Register for the next YouthMADE Festival Info Session to learn about showcasing student work at the 2025 YouthMADE Festival.
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