YUVA won the first prize for the Voice and Choice – SADC Gender Protocol @ Work Summit 2019 in the Youth category in recognition of its outstanding efforts in championing the Post-2015 SADC Gender Protocol and Sustainable Development Goals, and will be representing Mauritius at the regional summit to be held in South Africa in November 2019. 

YUVA was invited by Gender Links to participate in the Voice and Choice – SADC Gender Protocol @ Work Summit 2019, held on Friday, 31 May 2019 at the Gold Crest Hotel, in Quatre Bornes, to showcase its work and activities for the year 2018 – 2019 targeting the YOUTH.  

The aim of the SADC Protocol @ Work Summits is for NGOs, media houses, women entrepreneurs and local councils to present their best practices in regards to the promotion of gender equality which can be through stand-alone projects or by including gender in existing programmes.

YUVA’s best practice project focused on the theme Economic Justice: training and educational programmes with women, men, children, LGBT or people living with disabilities, highlighting the NGO’s journey from its inception to where it has reached today, including all the challenges and obstacles faced.

A total of 60 participants presented 45 projects in 6 categories, namely:

• Local government councils
• Youth
• Drivers of change
• NGOs (Climate change, SRHR, Governance & Economic Justice)
• Media
• Entrepreneurship

The projects and presentations were assessed by a panel of juries and the winners from the different categories were announced on Saturday, 1 June 2019 at the Award ceremony and Gala dinner hosted by Gender Links at The Flying Dodo restaurant, Bagatelle.