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Wits researcher receives Best Poster Award at international philanthropy conference
A Wits Business School researcher received international recognition after winning the Best Poster Award at the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) 2026 Conference, held in Lisbon, Portugal, from 13–16 July 2026.
Thandi Makhubela, Programme Manager: Adoye at the Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment (CAPSI), and a researcher focusing on African women’s community philanthropy, received the award in recognition of the quality of her poster presentation. The award celebrates excellence in research communication and recognises outstanding scholarly contributions from presenters across the globe.
The conference brought together academics, researchers, practitioners and philanthropy leaders to examine emerging issues affecting philanthropy, civil society and the third sector, while fostering international collaboration and knowledge exchange.
CAPSI also played a leading role in the conference programme. Professor Bhekinkosi Moyo, Director of CAPSI, moderated the semi-plenary session, Tomorrow’s Philanthropy, which explored how philanthropic practice can better inform research and future decision-making.
Opening the discussion, Moyo encouraged participants to translate lessons emerging from practice into meaningful research questions that can shape the sector’s future.
“Research is essential if philanthropy is to anticipate change rather than simply respond to it,” he said.
Reflecting on his 26 years as an ISTR member, Moyo also highlighted the Society’s enduring role in developing generations of scholars.
“Many of the colleagues I first met at ISTR attended as students with their professors. Today, many of them return with their own students. That continuity reflects the strength of ISTR as a global scholarly community.”
Throughout the conference, CAPSI researchers shared their work, contributing African perspectives to international discussions on philanthropy, social investment and civil society.
Makhubela’s award was a highlight of the conference and reflected the growing international recognition of research emerging from CAPSI and Wits Business School.
Contributions of the Non-Profit Sector to the Creation of Dignified and Fulfilling Work for Young People in Egypt
This literature review examines the contribution of the non-profit sector to the creation of dignified and fulfilling work for young people in Egypt. It explores how non-profit organisations and civil society actors support youth employment through skills development, entrepreneurship promotion, job placement initiatives, and policy advocacy, particularly in response to demographic pressures and labour market constraints. Drawing on academic literature, programme reports, and policy documents, the review situates these efforts within Egypt’s regulatory and socio-economic context. The findings indicate that while the non-profit sector plays an important intermediary and implementation role in youth employment initiatives, its impact is limited by fragmented data, capacity constraints, and reliance on donor-driven funding. The review highlights the need for improved coordination, stronger evidence generation, and sustainable institutional support to enhance the sector’s ability to create meaningful employment pathways for Egyptian youth.
Contributions of the Non-Profit Sector to Youth Employment in Morocco: A Systematic Literature Review
Morocco faces persistent youth labour-market difficulties, reflected in a national unemployment rate of 13.3% in 2024, a markedly higher unemployment rate among young people aged 15–24 (36.7%) and a low youth labour-force participation rate (22.7%). In addition, the scale of youth exclusion from both work and education/training remains substantial, with the High Commission for Planning (HCP) estimating, reported by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), that about one in four Moroccans aged 15–24 were neither in employment, education nor training (NEET) in 2022, that is, approximately 1.5 million individuals. This study synthesizes the evidence on how Morocco’s non-profit ecosystem (associations, mutual societies and cooperatives) may contribute to youth employability and access to a dignified job in line with international standards and national regulations, identifies empirical gaps and derives measurable indicators to inform the project’s fieldwork phase. A PRISMA-compliant systematic review was conducted across Scopus, Web of Science, Cairn, Google Scholar and selected grey literature sources (HCP, CESE, ACAPS) over the period 2014–2025 using French, English and Arabic keywords. Of 1,046 records screened, 147 met the inclusion criteria and findings were organized into five analytical themes covering the sector’s economic footprint, employment and job-quality issues, high-potential sub-sectors, evidence gaps and an outlook to 2030. Overall, the literature suggests that non-profit organizations can support employability through multiple pathways (skills development, work experience and service-delivery activities), but reported impacts vary across organizational forms and are frequently limited by informality, uneven managerial capacity and persistent data constraints, particularly for robust measurement of job quality and longer-term trajectories.
Contributions of the Non-Profit Sector in Creating Dignified and Fulfilling Work for Young People in Burkina Faso
This literature review examines the contribution of the non-profit sector to the creation of dignified and fulfilling work and opportunities for young people in Burkina Faso. Despite sustained economic growth averaging 5.2% per year, poverty and unemployment—particularly among rural youth—remain persistent challenges. Against this backdrop, non-profit organisations (NPOs) have become key actors in the country’s socio-economic development through initiatives that provide training, advocacy, and direct employment for young people. The study employs a two-step methodological approach combining bibliographic review and institutional document analysis. Findings reveal a lack of comprehensive data on the economic and social contributions of NPOs, as well as limited evidence regarding the quality of jobs created for youth. Nonetheless, available literature and field reports suggest that NPOs play an important role in promoting employability, social inclusion, and human dignity through numerous programmes. However, the absence of disaggregated statistics and systematic evaluation constrains a full assessment of their impact. This study highlights the need for large-scale, mixed-method research to map the non-profit sector and measure its contributions to dignified and fulfilling work. By doing so, policymakers and development actors can better leverage the sector’s potential to advance inclusive and sustainable youth employment in Burkina Faso.
Contributions of the Non-Profit Sector to the Creation of Dignified and Fulfilling Work and Opportunities for Young People in Côte d’Ivoire
This literature review analyses the contribution of the non-profit sector to the Ivorian economy and its role in creating dignified and fulfilling work for young people. In a context marked by persistent youth unemployment and underemployment, non-profit organisations (NPOs) have emerged as important actors supporting social inclusion, skills development, and access to livelihood opportunities. The study adopts a documentary research approach, reviewing academic literature, policy reports, and institutional publications to assess the scale and nature of these contributions. Findings indicate that while NPOs play a meaningful role through training programmes, entrepreneurship support, and advocacy initiatives, there is limited statistical data capturing their full economic impact or the quality and sustainability of the jobs created. The review highlights structural challenges such as funding dependence, fragmented coordination with public policies, and insufficient monitoring and evaluation systems. It concludes that strengthening partnerships between government, civil society, and the private sector, alongside improved data collection, is essential to fully leverage the sector’s potential to promote inclusive growth and decent employment for youth in Côte d’Ivoire.
The Contributions of the Non-Profit Sector to the Rwandan Economy and the Creation of Dignified and Fulfilling Work for the Youth
The non-profit sector plays a significant role in economic development and social transformation in Rwanda, particularly in addressing youth unemployment. However, the extent of its contribution to empowering African economies, especially Rwanda, remains underexplored. This desk review examines how non-profit organisations support the Rwandan economy by creating dignified and fulfilling employment opportunities for young people. The analysis highlights the various mechanisms through which non-profits facilitate youth employment, including vocational training, entrepreneurship support, and labour market advocacy. The study synthesises findings from policy documents, scholarly literature, and national reports to assess the sector’s role in job creation, skills development, and youth empowerment. Existing research suggests that non-profits contribute significantly by equipping young people with technical and entrepreneurial skills, supporting small business development, and advocating for inclusive labour policies. However, despite these contributions, challenges persist in terms of financial sustainability, alignment with national employment policies, and labour market integration. Findings indicate that non-profits are key actors in bridging gaps in formal employment by offering alternative pathways for youth to gain economic stability. The review also identifies knowledge gaps, particularly in quantifying the sector’s impact on broader employment trends. While success stories demonstrate effective models of intervention, further policy engagement is required to ensure long-term sustainability and scalability. This analysis underscores the strategic importance of strengthening the non-profit sector to address youth unemployment and promote economic inclusivity in Rwanda. By reinforcing collaboration between non-profits, government institutions, and private sector actors, policymakers can enhance the sector’s capacity to generate employment and foster long-term economic resilience.
The Contributions of the Non-Profit Sector to Youth Employment in Ethiopia: A Review of the Literature
The review explored how the role of NPOs aims to address structural barriers, such as limited access to finance, insufficient skills training, and fragmented institutional coordination and individual or group-based business development support systems that hindered the youth from realizing employment and livelihood benefits. The review comprises literature from academic, policy, and program/project intervention spheres. Relevant information was collected from published articles, websites, project/program documents, and monitoring and evaluation databases. The review suggested that NPOs have empowered target beneficiaries with the knowledge and skills needed in the labor market. Trainings were conducted to enhance youth livelihood opportunities, such as employability capacities and effective work habits, business skills, entrepreneurship, and business development supports to unemployed youth identified by youth-focused NPOs. These NPOs also used internships, job fairs, and trainings as drivers to promote wage employment and self-employment. The literature also shows that NPOs enabled target youths to access working capital to run businesses individually and in groups and own household assets. The review concludes that NPOs were effective in empowering youth through creating employment, enhancing entrepreneurial capacities, increasing income, and building business and technical skills at a limited scale in urban contexts. However, the literature failed to provide evidence on whether NPOs were able to make their services accessible to unemployed youth in conflict areas, IDP camps, and rural hinterlands.
The Contributions of the Non-Profit Sector to the Economy and the Creation of Dignified and Fulfilling Work for Youths in the Democratic Republic of Congo
This literature review examines the contribution of the non-profit sector to the economy and the creation of dignified and fulfilling jobs for youths in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is based mainly on documentary research, even if very few papers have been published on this topic. The direct contribution of non-profit organisations (NPOs) to youth employment remains unclear due to insufficient data regarding NPOs’ roles in providing dignified and meaningful work. In this context, evaluating their contribution to job creation for marginalised youth, especially those living with disabilities, becomes even more difficult. The literature shows that the NPOs generate few direct jobs; their main contribution lies in strengthening the employability of young people through training, mentoring, entrepreneurship support, and advocacy for their inclusion. However, this study highlights a darker reality: the opportunities created are often precarious, characterised by short-term contracts, low salaries, and heavy dependence on external funding, pushing a large proportion of young people into the informal sector just to survive. Furthermore, the glaring lack of reliable quantitative data prevents an accurate assessment of the sector’s impact. Although NPOs represent a beacon of hope and an indispensable partner in addressing the country’s structural shortcomings, their capacity to intervene is relatively weak, partly due to their reliance on foreign donors. Additionally, they are further hindered by the political environment in which they operate. This review highlights the urgent need for an integrated approach, combining coherent public policies, strengthened partnerships between the state, the private sector, and civil society, and structural transformation of the economy, so that the potential of Congolese youth can finally be fully realised.
Contributions of the Non-Profit Sector to the South African Economy: A Focus on Creating Dignified and Fulfilling Work for the Youth
Youth unemployment represents a critical socio-economic challenge in South Africa, disproportionately affecting marginalised groups. This literature review synthesises existing research to analyse the contributions of the Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) sector in addressing this crisis, with a specific focus on the creation of dignified and fulfilling work. The review establishes that the sector is a significant employer and provides essential pathways to employment through direct job creation, skills development, vocational training, and support for youth entrepreneurship. However, a critical finding is the pervasive lack of consolidated, granular data, which obscures a precise understanding of the sector’s scale and impact, particularly regarding employment quality for marginalised youth. The analysis reveals a substantial knowledge gap; while the quantitative outputs of NPO-led initiatives are often documented, the qualitative aspects of job dignity, such as stability, fair remuneration, and opportunities for advancement, remain critically underexplored. Key structural challenges, including funding instability and the precarious nature of many NPO-funded positions, further complicate the sector’s ability to deliver sustainable employment. The review concludes that while South African NPOs are indispensable in mitigating youth unemployment, strategic improvements are needed. These include enhancing data collection mechanisms, fostering sustainable funding models, and prioritising the creation of high-quality, dignified work to fully realise the sector’s potential in fostering sustainable economic inclusion for South African youth.
Contributions of the Non-Profit Sector to Youth Employment in Nigeria: A Review of the Literature
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