Bangladesh is tackling youth unemployment through the $300 million RAISE program, supported by the World Bank.
The initiative targets nearly 900,000 young people who left school early, offering counseling, life-skills and job training, and access to finance.
One participant, Suma, was abandoned by her husband and returned to her parents, facing stigma as a divorced woman. Through RAISE, she trained in graphic design and later became a trainer herself. Officials say her story illustrates how targeted programs can lift marginalized youth into the workforce.
RAISE is part of a wider World Bank effort to link education to employment. The project’s success is being closely watched by neighbors seeking ways to turn economic growth into real jobs and opportunity.