Partner: Spark
Countries: Mali, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Libya
As a freelance strategic advisor, Marije was involved in various activities for Spark 2012-2015, a Dutch NGO which develops higher education and entrepreneurship to empower young, ambitious people to lead their conflict affected societies into prosperity. Her work included:
- Advising on a youth entrepreneurship strategy for South Sudanese youth, including returnees from Uganda and Sudan and advised on conflict sensitivity with regard to returned migrants and IDPs.
- Providing a conflictsensitivity workshop for staff of youth entrepreneurship programmes for Burundi and Rwanda.
- Developing a youth entrepreneurship project with the University of Ségou for Malian students and IDPs from North Mali including Tuareg, who had fled the conflict in 2012. This was financed by the Dutch embassy in Bamako and focused on setting up agri-businesses, supported by loans, training and mentoring.
- Advised on setting up a youth entrepreneurship centre in Benghazi, Libya and participated in a mission to Benghazi and Tripoli in 2012.