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Rural and remote areas face special education and employment challenges that differ from those facing their urban counterparts. Distance from urban centers, small populations, and special demographic characteristics provide unique challenges in need of creative solutions.

The Western Region of Abu Dhabi, or Al Gharbia, is located 150-300 kms away from the city of Abu Dhabi. It accounts for 71% of the Emirate’s land mass but only 9% of its population. As such, the area is considered relatively remote, with scattered settlements and low population densities. While the region has seen considerable development over the past decade, the challenges that it faces due to its location extend to education and employment as well.

The Emirates Foundation, in partnership with the Citi Foundation, initiated this research project to explore the barriers and facilitators to education and employment among Emirati youth in the region with the express aim to develop recommendations to tackle these challenges.

In order to better understand the special context of the region and the challenges faced by its youth, the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government, conducted qualitative and quantitative studies among Emiratis aged 16-29 in the region in the form of in-depth interviews and surveys.