Crosswise Works

Crosswise Works focuses on building towards the economic resilience and empowerment of young people across Africa. Crosswise Works develops and strengthens ecosystems that promote inclusive entrepreneurship. We foster economic growth to contribute to reducing inequality and promoting sustainable development in Africa.

Local partnership and knowledge are at the core of Crosswise Works. Our programs are co-designed and implemented in partnership with our large network of local entrepreneurship partners and hubs across Africa. Together, we deploy a human centered design approach to develop tailor made trainings and entrepreneurship curriculums for young people.

Missie:

Empowering young people in Africa to be economically resilient. By collaborating locally and internationally to create strong and sustainable ecosystems.

Handicap expertise:

Crosswise Works focuses on the economic empowerment of young people, our program design focuses on under-served economic groups, including young persons with disabilities. Inclusive program design is at the core of our work, creating disability inclusive curriculums alongside Disability Inclusion Officers and in consult with persons with disabilities.

Currently, Crosswise Work’s main program is We Can Work, a 8 year program in partnership with Light for the World and Africa Disability Forum that focuses on stimulating economic inclusion by providing core life skills and economic pathway development for persons with disabilities across seven African countries. We have a small team based in Amsterdam (5) and work with Entrepreneurship Advisors and Entrepreneurship Support Organisations in each country to make this happen.

Self-advocacy, inclusive design and safeguarding are at the core of our programmatic work. Crosswise Works champions a holistic programmatic and economic empowerment approach that incorporates life skills such as self-advocacy, communication, sexual and reproductive health and confidence building, as a key foundation for subsequent training entrepreneurship or employability skills training.

Simultaneously, Crosswise Works focuses on the capacity strengthening of local partners, designing and delivering trainings for staff and local trainers on disability inclusive curriculum delivery, interactive session facilitation and safeguarding.

Crosswise Works believe that every young person should have the opportunity to develop the skills and confidence to become economically active in a dignified way.

Sharing key insights and learnings between our network of local partners and our program donors is a key focus area, Crosswise Works believes that the partnering of local and international knowledge can strengthen the disability inclusion efforts of programs, communities and policies.

Aandachtsgebieden:

Inclusive curriculum and program design, inclusive entrepreneurship development, young people’s economic empowerment, capacity strengthening of local entrepreneurial network and partners, access to finance – innovative and inclusive tools