Building Connections: Youth Employment in Diyala

Five months ago, Abdullah Jasim started a Telegram channel aimed at unemployed youth in Diyala Governorate, to assist them in finding job opportunities in the private sector. This channel leverages his personal network, as well as the connections his team has with company managers and business leaders. In just five months, the channel placed 39 young people in full-time employment — a remarkable achievement in a region still recovering from the economic disruption caused by years of conflict and displacement.

A Grassroots Solution to a Region-Wide Challenge

Youth unemployment in Diyala, as across much of post-conflict Iraq, is not simply an economic problem. It is a social cohesion problem, a security problem, and a generational problem. Young people without pathways to economic participation are more vulnerable to recruitment by extremist groups, more likely to leave their communities, and less invested in their community's future. Abdullah's solution was characteristically practical: use the tools available, leverage the networks built through years of community work, and focus relentlessly on outcomes.

What This Means for Aligning Cultures' Work in Iraq

This story exemplifies Aligning Cultures' approach to youth employment programming across Iraq. We start with the market — not with assumptions about what skills young people need. We connect with local partners who have the relationships and the credibility to make things happen. And we focus on real outcomes: jobs placed, livelihoods secured, communities strengthened. Aligning Cultures has reached 8,000+ youth with employment and livelihoods programming across Iraq, combining market research, digital skills training, employer engagement, and internship placement — with explicit inclusion targets for women, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities.