Imagine spending years building a small business investing your time, your savings, your hope only to lose it all in a single moment. This is not a hypothetical for thousands across the EMEA region. For them, it’s a daily reality.

From bustling markets in North Africa to family-run shops in the Middle East, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have long been the backbone of local economies. But conflict, displacement, inflation, and infrastructure collapse have left many of these businesses in ruins.

• A high percentage of MSMEs in conflict-affected zones have been damaged or permanently closed.
  
  
• Thousands of families have lost their primary sources of income overnight.
  
  

Local economies are shrinking, and essential services  from food supply to transportation are disappearing.

• Youth unemployment soars as job creators shut their doors.
  
  

And when businesses collapse, it’s not just the owners who suffer. Entire communities lose stability, access, and hope.

In countries impacted by war, economic collapse, political instability, and forced displacement, youth are disproportionately affected. With over 13 million children out of school and an estimated 4–6 million orphans, the consequences of inaction are staggering. Education systems are in crisis. Youth unemployment rates soar as high as 35%, and access to meaningful training or stable work remains out of reach for the majority.

For many, this is the beginning of a dangerous cycle, one marked by poverty, marginalization, exploitation, and loss of hope.