Young Africa International

Young Africa began with a simple but powerful vision: to empower youth with skills for life and livelihood. In 1998, Raj A. Joseph and Dorien Beurskens founded Young Africa. They started the organisation with a start-up capital of only $1,500 and a 3-member volunteer board, with Mathieu Beurskens as the founding chair.  The first training centre in Zimbabwe was opened in 2001, laying the foundation for what would become a far-reaching mission across the continent. More skills centres in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia followed.

In 2015, we started Young Africa International, with the founding office in The Netherlands, and the headquarters (the Hub) in Zimbabwe. YA International led the expansion into Botswana, Zambia, Angola, and Nigeria. It supports the country teams in sustaining, strengthening and expanding their operations.

In 2024, we transformed from a confederation into a federation—a structure that strengthens our unity while honouring each country’s particular context

Young Africa is a federation of independently registered local organisations. We share the name, the DNA, the mission, our values, and an affiliation agreement that binds us.

We have Young Africa affiliates in various African countries. They implement the programmes. Each affiliate is an independent legal entity with their own team and supervisory board.

Young Africa International is the founding organisation, with the task to safeguard the vision, uphold quality and expand our youth empowerment activities. Young Africa International has the headquarters in Harare, Zimbabwe, and the support office in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.