Web Analytics

fundsforNGOs - Grants and Resources for Sustainability

Grants and Resources for Sustainability

You are here: Home / Proposals / Capacity Development Training of Youth for better Job Opportunities and Livelihood Sustainability

Capacity Development Training of Youth for better Job Opportunities and Livelihood Sustainability

Youth are the building blocks of any nation. Youth are the assets if trained and molded with rigorous training and practice. Youth is that wonderful time in life when energy is limitless, human creativity is at its best and the ’never say die’ spirit is at its peak. Youths form the skeletal framework of the economy of the country. We have this specific project to promote the socio-economic status of youths through capacity building for job opportunities and livelihood sustainability. This proposed project will promote the development and creation of skills that will provide opportunities for the self-employment of youth. The specific objectives of this project include supporting youths in small-scale enterprise development and training youths in marketable vocational skills.

Background and Problem Analysis

The population of Sierra Leone grew by 3.2 per cent between 2004 and 2015 from about 5 to 7 million people. The majority of the population is young, with eight out of ten people being under 35 years old. About 41 per cent are under the age of 15 and 62.5 per cent are under 25 years old. Analysis of the socio-economic situations of youth both males and females in Sierra Leone reveals that due to various socio-cultural factors, they do not often benefit from the fruits of economic growth. Rather, economic growth often impacts their situation adversely. General socio-economic deterioration which was occasioned by the 11 year civil war exacerbated the circumstances of these marginalized groups.

The Sierra Leone National Youth Policy defines youth as young men and women between the ages of 15 and 35 years. Youths form the skeletal framework of the economy of the country and according to the 2004 National Population Census. It is contended that a large proportion of youth are marginalized. The worst affected groups include:

    • Youths with disabilities
    • School dropouts
    • The unemployed
    • Rural youth
    • Commercial sex workers
    • Drug addicts
    • Youth living with HIV/ABCS
    • Victims of sexual abuse
    • Pregnant girls
    • Teenage mothers

Various estimates indicate that unemployment is the highest among youth especially between the ages of 18 and 35. The poverty profile affirms that young adults – especially between the ages of 15 and 24 are among the poorest of the poor.

It is widely claimed that economic inequity as a major factor in the recently concluded rebel war: many youth joined the ranks of the rebels in the hope of economic benefits and future security. This explains their active involvement in diamond mining, and in the widespread looting that characterized the war.

Youths have undergone violent and profound changes in the last two decades, with serious consequences for any meaningful attempts to reduce poverty in Sierra Leone. The pre-war years were characterized by exclusion and very low investment in youth development and education and by hardly any real opportunities for youth employment. The war worsened this problem because it exposed them to physical violence as (combatants and as victims of war), rape, looting and drug abuse. In the post war period, direct consequences of their poverty and widespread lack of opportunities for productive engagement have included drug peddling, prostitution and theft. Owing mainly to commercial sex, which has been adopted by many youths as a means of survival, the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases – including HIV/ABCS is on the increase.

Another consequence of youth poverty since the war has been accelerated by the pace of rural-urban migration in search of elusive opportunities – a fact which depresses production potential in the rural areas, and also leads to increased frustration of such youth in their urban destination areas.

Many people who were children during and immediately after the civil war have since turned into youths. These lost the opportunities of education and family life, and still carry with them the trauma of their war experiences. Youths are generally explosive in behavior and difficult to control because of their varied wants. Many of them are illiterate, school dropouts, unemployed and idle, living in deplorable conditions in rural as well as urban settings.

Numerous such youths have psychosocial problems. They are social misfits and today swell the ranks of the unemployed and unemployable. Their problems also need to be addressed urgently.

Project Description

Goal

Promote the socio-economic status of youths through capacity building for job opportunities and livelihood sustainability.

Objectives

The specific objectives of this project include

    • To support 50 youths in small-scale enterprise development and provision of start-up grants.
    • To train 100 youths in marketable vocational skills and provide start-up kits.

Duration of the Project

The project will be implemented for a period of 24 months.

Project area and Target Population

The project will be implemented in the targeted communities within the Western Rural Area. The project will specifically target female and male youth between the ages of 15 – 35 years. The target group will include vulnerable and other youth and will cater for 150 youths (75 female youth) over a one year period.

Main Component and Activities

Consistent with the above background, problem analysis, objectives and coverage, this project will utilize previous experience acquired by organization over the years in the implementation of similar project activities.

Small-scale enterprise development:

50 youths will be organized to undertake the following main activities for this component. This will include: financial and management support to existing local artisan within the communities; remedial education for trainers and trainees; payment of stipends to trainers and trainees; providing training tool kits and organizing youths into co-operatives based on skills acquired and establishing parent committees for policy making and monitoring of training.

Vocational Skills Training:

100 youths will be trained in a cluster of skills identified with existing opportunities and needs in specified locations. Overall, the following disciplines will be considered as options: Auto mechanics, Carpentry, Tailoring, Hairdressing, and soap making. Literacy and numeracy skills will also be built into the training programme.

Specific Activities:

    • Skills Training Options: The need to improve the socio-economic base of youths through support to training in marketable skills, to contribute to sustainable development through enterprise development which is paramount in post conflict situations like Sierra Leone.
    • Academic: As majority of the youths are illiterate/semi-illiterate it is deeming necessary for basic literacy and numeracy courses to be taught in order for them to identify measurement in their various skills and also to be able to account on the small-scale business enterprises development. Not with standing this, awareness raising, decision making, and leadership courses will be taught.
    • Workshops: Three major workshops are to be conducted for capacity building of both trainers and trainees within the two year implementation period: Vocational skills curriculum review; small scale business skills Trainers’ workshop; and small scale business skills Trainees’ workshop.
    • Equipment and Tools: Trainees will be provided with the appropriate basic tools/equipment for the one year duration and be part of the starter package after completion of the course.
    • Supervision: Organization will recruit two field staff and one project manager with requisite experience to the Youth project.
    • Centre Facilitators: Lead facilitators and facilitators will be identified and appointed to provide overall supervision and training respectively in each center in the targeted communities due to the apparent absence of established vocational training centers in these communities. To ease identification, all facilitators and lead facilitators in vocational centers will be provided with identification cards (ID).
    • Stipend for Facilitators: All facilitators including lead facilitators will receive monthly stipends according to qualification and responsibilities.
    • Lunch for Trainees and Facilitators: As majority of the trainees come from afar, it is deem necessary for lunch to be provided for them and the trainers to enhance quality delivery in the centers. A flat rate of ten thousand leones (le 5,000) per person will be provided.
    • Light refreshment at Steering Committee Meetings: In order for the non-formal sector of the Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MEST) to be actively involved in the project, quarterly meeting with them for updates is required wherein light refreshment will be provided.
    • Facilitators Coordination Meeting: In keeping abreast with what is going on in the various centers, facilitators will be required to give coverage of monthly coordination meeting, update and joint monthly plans. This will reflects stationery, lunch and transport reimbursement to facilitators.
    • Launching and Orientation: In order to ensure on-going sensitization and awareness raising, launching and orientation of the project as an activity per location.
    • Facilitators Exchange Visit: This to enhance learning and sharing of knowledge among the facilitators for effective delivery. It will be observed once a year by each center.
    • Caretakers and Security: For effective learning atmosphere and safety of materials and equipment in the centers caretaker should be recruited. And to also avoid loss of valuable property in the centre night security is also needed.
    • Teaching Cost: This will constitute teaching and learning material (TLM) for the various vocational skills and academic, maintenance of TLM for vocational skills (10% of procurement cost). Purchasing of T-shirt for trainees will also be costed.
    • Operational Cost: This constitutes transportation and minimal administrative cost as related to monitoring and supervision. Hence, budget for hauling of equipment and materials, stationery and documentation during the one year will be costed.

Project Strategy

The strategy for project implementation will fall under two distinct categories, namely general strategy approaches that cut across all the three components and those that are specific to the components.

Cross Cutting Strategy:

    • Youth Involvement and Ownership
      • This will include the involvement of youths in the identification of needs and supporting them on their choices, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the projects. This is to promote ownership, self-esteem and control over development processes.
    • Involving Communities and other Key Players
      • Tapping the community’s own resource potentials to implement the project through animation, participation in planning, awareness creation will be emphasized. A community based management group will be established to serve as monitoring and advisory group to the project in each location. The emergence of Community Based Management structures will be facilitated where they don’t already exist. These structures will be encouraged to develop community action plans through which they can enhance community development initiatives. Youth groups will be encouraged to participate in initiatives that will emerge.
    • Advocacy
      •  During the life of the project, organization will engage in networking and collaboration with Ministry of Education Science and Technology and other partners implementing other components of the project and working in the same geographical area to enhance learning and to complement each other’s effort. Linkages and alliances with government institutions, agencies and NGO’s working on youth issues will be promoted to improve leverage, advocacy and learning on the subject of youths.

Specific Strategy

    • Small scale enterprise development
      • The youth enterprise development support will compromise financial and economic assessments and small scale business management training to groups of 3-5 members. These groups will be self- managed based on systems and procedures jointly developed with organization and communities. This will be closely linked with other skills as appropriate to constitute a cluster of skills in specified locations to particularly address needs of female youths and their attendant gender concerns. The schemes will be subject to regular monitoring by organization and Youth Ministry.
    • Vocational Skills Training
      • This component will follow both formal and informal approaches to skills development based on needs assessment and skills audit activities. The main emphasis will be on providing training in the communities in which the youths are based through utilizing local apprenticeship training facilities. Existing structures/facilities offering relevant services will be identified as outlets for placement of youth. Such centers will receive support through provision of working materials and professional services for a limited period by a professional (facilitators in the required discipline) and using the trainees to enhance their practical skills.
      • Community training centers will be constructed or rehabilitated at strategic locations identified to serve as multi-purpose centers for training of youths who will be drawn from other satellite communities. Youths will be provided with basic training tools and materials during the training for specific period depending on the type of skill. Each training center will offer a cluster of skills training based on the needs identified and preferred (e.g. tailoring, hairdressing, carpentry). The youths that successfully complete these apprenticeships will benefit from starter packages that will include tools and grant and will be encouraged to form co-operatives so that they can start their own businesses.

Organization and Management

Project Management and Staffing

The project will be under the overall management of the Country Director. The Head of Finance will ensure the financial management of the project. The project manager, will report directly to organization country director in the head office and will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the project. The Project Manager will work directly with two (2) Project Officers to implement field level project activities. Strong links will be maintained with the Ministry of Youth and Employment to provide technical supervision. Existing and credible LNGOs and CBOs with requisite institutional capacity and experience will be encouraged to provide support for the implementation; direct supervision and monitoring of work in close collaboration with trained community structures, animation and youth beneficiary groups.

The organization operates a computerized accounting system for the recording and reporting of transactions. The accountability system includes the production of monthly activity progress reports, quarterly variance reports derived from monthly management accounts that show planned expenditure, actual expenditure, utilization levels and variances. XX accountability systems and procedures will be strictly followed and adhered to in the use of funds committed to the project.

Experience in Implementing Youth Development and Social Integration Project

In Sierra Leone, ABC organization has a wealth of experience in implementing youth projects. Over the years’ organization was among the implementing agency of the “youth in crisis” project and had engaged in in-depth consultations with youth and parents in several locations across the country. Following this, ABC organization has since responded to the findings of the consultations by providing support for youths in the area of Skills Development and Employment, Income Generation, Sensitization and Training. Specifically, organization is engaged in the construction of a training center at Wellington, supporting youth in Hairdressing and Tailoring

As part of its national peace building strategy, ABC organization is engaged in the placement of youth with institution and local artisans for skills training, sensitization and training of youths through thematic workshops on key youth related issues such as peace building, reconciliation and conflict resolution, civic responsibility; enterprise development training for youths. The organization has supported youth leaders training in basic computer software and is presently engage with the trainings of CSO’S in basic computer software.

The successful implementation of these interventions has been possible as a result of the invaluable support of various international and local partner organizations. All programmes were implemented with the sole objective of resorting youth livelihoods and dignity through sustainable intervention.

Project Sustainability Plan

The project design envisages continuity by the end of the funding period. The following steps will be taken to ensure constructive disengagement with project beneficiaries:

    • Development and creation of alternative skills for self-employment: the project will promote the development and creation of skills that will provide opportunities for self-employment of beneficiaries. It is felt that once self-employed persons are organized to live and work together to address their common problems, they are less likely to depend on external support.
    • Involvement of beneficiaries at all levels: the project will be demystified with the participation of all stakeholders through various sensitization activities and this process will continue throughout the life of the project. It is felt that the involvement of all beneficiaries will not only create local capacity but will also foster the sense of ownership and control of the project.
    • Training and institution building: beneficiary training in productive skills, leadership and management will be the vehicle to accelerate the process of transformation or change in the society. Youths, especially female youths will be particularly focused for the various training activities. With start-up kits, beneficiaries will be encouraged to work in groups to address their common problems.
    • Investment in micro-finance activities: beneficiaries will be encouraged to work in small groups to embark on income generation activities with a view to revolving funds to allow for growth and expansion. By small-business training acquired they can sustain their finance.
    • Community service information collection and analysis: the project will involve the consistent collection and analysis of information through networking, collaboration and partnership to guide the process of implementation. Such information will be fed back to communities and other agencies for the purpose of replication and to guide the phase out process. The project will also facilitate the linkage of communities to essential service providers and information sources at phase out.

Project Monitoring Plan

Monitoring will be carried out throughout the life span of the project. ABC organization’s staff and the project beneficiaries will play a major participatory role in the entire monitoring process.

A framework for monitoring and evaluation, including measuring the impact of this intervention will be agreed with the intended beneficiaries, the management committees and members of the community.

The following indicators will be monitored:

    • Youth participation in skills training and literacy classes
    • Youths successfully completing skills training
    • Micro businesses established by youths and levels of profitability
    • Progress in understanding of participatory development concepts
    • Community training centers constructed or rehabilitated and used
    • Number of youths trained and co-operatives established
    • Community initiatives involving youths

Data on the above indicators will be collected through the following means:

    • Work schedules of field staffing overseeing implementation of the project
    • Monthly activity implementation reports by field staff, in collaboration with Centre leader
    • Field visit and project review reports by Programme Managers and other project support staff
    • Quarterly progress reports to donor by project manager; and
    • Half yearly progress reports to donor

About Organization

The ABC organization is a non-profit, non-governmental, and non-political organization working for the rights of humanity and solidify services for the holistic development of people and their communities. The organization’s main focus area is empowerments of youths and women by providing the skills and training.

ABC is committed to the proposition that poverty can be substantially reduced and eventually eradicated. It focuses it work on youth empowerment, basic education and community development and income generation.

As a charitable organization, ABC works with communities, other agencies and government ministries to alleviate poverty and improve livelihood through sustainable interventions.