From Return to Resilience: Civic Education and Climate-Smart Livelihoods for Afghan Youth and Women

KEY COMPONENTS:

• Youth Resilience Hub – a safe space for youth and women
• Civic education, democracy & community understanding
• Climate-friendly livelihoods (eco-farming, water conservation, green technology)
• Microbusiness & entrepreneurship
• Digital skills and access to online markets
• Mobile legal support and assistance with documentation
• Diaspora mentoring and peer-led learning

EXPECTED RESULTS:

• Youth and women gain strengthened participation in society
• Returned families obtain access to ID documents and legal rights
• Households develop climate-friendly income sources
• Women participate safely through the hub-based model
• Reduced marginalization and increased agency among vulnerable groups
• Local communities are strengthened through learning, support, and volunteerism

Long Project Text – From Return to Resilience

“From Return to Resilience: Civic Education and Climate-Smart Livelihoods for Afghan Youth and Women” is an 18-month development project running from January 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027, focusing on some of the most vulnerable groups in Herat Province: youth, women, and families who have been forcibly displaced from Iran and Pakistan. Herat is currently one of the country’s largest reception points for returnees, and thousands of people arrive each year without documents, networks, or access to services, jobs, or social rights. In this vacuum, isolation, poverty, and marginalization emerge—especially for women and youth, who often lack both support and safe learning environments.

To address this situation, the project establishes a Youth Resilience Hub in Herat. The hub functions as a safe, non-political, and inclusive learning environment where youth and women can participate in activities that strengthen their rights, professional opportunities, and community engagement. The hub-based model is crucial, as it enables women to participate safely, within socially acceptable frameworks, focusing on community, learning, and local relevance.

Activities at the hub are broadly based and combine civic education, climate-friendly livelihoods, digital learning, entrepreneurship, and legal support. In this way, the project addresses the many layers of marginalization experienced by returned families: lack of identity documents, limited economic opportunities, low digital access, and limited understanding of rights and community processes.

A significant portion of the target group lacks basic legal documents such as Tazkira, birth certificates, marriage papers, or school records. Without these documents, they cannot open bank accounts, enroll children in school, obtain employment, or access humanitarian services. The project therefore offers mobile legal support, where participants receive assistance with paperwork, form completion, government contacts, and follow-up. For many families, this may be the first opportunity to reestablish their legal identity and secure their rights as citizens.

The second core component is climate-friendly livelihoods, where participants learn about eco-farming, drought-resistant crops, water-saving techniques, solar energy, and small-scale production. These solutions are particularly relevant in Herat, where the climate is becoming more extreme and many households lack stable income sources. By combining practical exercises with training in microbusiness and digital market access, participants gain tools to start small sustainable income-generating activities.

The third component is civic education and citizenship, where youth and women learn about community participation, rights, responsibilities, conflict resolution, local problem-solving, and volunteerism. The program is built around peer-led workshops, where participants co-create training, develop local initiatives, and engage in civic activities. This strengthens their voice, agency, and connection to the local community.

The project is complemented by diaspora mentoring, where Rebuild Aid volunteers and professionals in Denmark provide training, digital support, career guidance, and technical advice. This connection between Afghanistan and the diaspora creates a unique learning space, combining local experiences with international perspectives.

Expected effects extend well beyond the project period. Participants gain improved access to rights, greater self-confidence, better digital skills, stronger livelihoods, and a community that can continue after the project ends. For women, the hub provides a rare opportunity for safe participation, education, and economic prospects. For youth, the project creates alternative pathways to the future, hope, and engagement at a time when many otherwise feel without opportunities.

“From Return to Resilience” is based on the principle of local ownership, capacity building, and real alternatives for people in vulnerable life situations—and the project is designed to create lasting results through holistic support, inclusive learning, and close collaboration between Rebuild Aid and SUAO.