The MasterCard Foundation & Samasource Announce a $5.3 Million Landmark Partnership to Train & Employ East African Youth
Toronto & San Francisco, October 10, 2012 – The MasterCard Foundation and Samasource today announced the launch of a new partnership to create technology-enabled jobs and training for thousands of marginalized youth in East Africa. The $5.3 million, five year partnership will train some 10,000 East African young people in technology-related jobs, 4,300 of which will be employed through Samasource projects.
“We are grateful to be working with one of the world’s leading philanthropic funders,” said Leila Janah, founder & CEO of Samasource. “This partnership with The MasterCard Foundation enables us to serve more marginalized women and youth than ever before and expand into new areas. With this support, we will dramatically change the lives of thousands of poor women and youth by providing them with what they want most—paying work.”
To date, Samasource has connected more than 3,000 marginalized people in nine countries to paying work—totaling over $2 million in wages. Samasource’s award-winning microwork model brings free, specialized technology training and paid digital work to poor women and youth around the world. This enables people to gain skills, earn a living wage and break the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families. 75% of Samasource workers move up to higher-paying work or higher education.
“We share with Samasource a vision of a more equitable and inclusive Africa, and we see great success and future promise in their technology-driven model,” said Reeta Roy, President and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation. “Our partnership will create economic opportunities through the innovative delivery of market-relevant job training.”
This funding will allow Samasource to significantly broaden its impact by developing additional features to scale its proprietary microwork platform, the SamaHub. The funding will also support Samasource’s network of delivery partners to train 10,000 East African youth and provide direct employment to over 4,000 young people living in slums and peri-urban areas in Kenya and Uganda.
About The MasterCard Foundation
The MasterCard Foundation advances microfinance and youth learning to promote financial inclusion and prosperity. Through collaboration with committed partners in over 49 developing countries, it is helping people living in poverty to access opportunities to learn and prosper. Based in Toronto, Canada, The MasterCard Foundation was established through the generosity of MasterCard Worldwide at the time of the company’s initial public offering in 2006. It operates independently of MasterCard Worldwide. For more information, visit http://mastercardfdn.org.
About Samasource, Inc.
Samasource delivers enterprise digital services through a unique microwork model that harnesses the untapped potential of the world’s poor. Founded in 2008 by CEO, Leila Janah, Samasource is an award-winning 501(c)(3) nonprofit. In addition to its San Francisco headquarters, Samasource operates out of Nairobi, Kenya and connects poor women and youth to paying work in countries around the world, including Gambia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Africa and Uganda. For more information on impact or services, visit http://samasource.org.
