Our Skills for Jobs project with Youth and Community Development Organisation (YouthCode) is empowering 55 young men and women in Nkhotakota, Malawi, with vocational, technical and business skills, and nurture an entrepreneurship culture to gain meaningful employment.
Trainees will follow a curriculum to learn technical trade skills, essential business and life skills, and will graduate prepared for formal employment or ready to start their own enterprises. With the means of earning a sustainable income, graduates can achieve enhanced financial security, self-worth and be valued by their local communities.
Poverty and unemployment are huge challenges in Malawi and the World Bank estimates that in 2023 72% of the population are living in poverty. The unemployment rate is 5.61% (ILO, 2022) and youth unemployment rate far higher at 10%, significantly impacting in Nkhotakota district where 80% of the population are below 35 years of age and 51% are under 18.
It is against this background that we are working to address the challenges that the youth are facing, particularly women. Early marriage, unwanted pregnancy, early childbearing, gender based violence, sexually transmitted infections all contribute to impeding women’s growth and development, limiting access to education and resulting in poor employment prospects. In recent years, these challenges have been exacerbated by external shocks such as the emergence of corona virus, natural disasters, and exponential increases in the cost of living.
Tailoring lessons in the training centre
Our project is training 23 young men and 32 young women in their choice of trade, either Tailoring, Solar and Electrical Installation, Fabrication and Welding or Food Production.
As well as completing 6 months of technical and business training, each participant will spend three month undertaking supervised work placement hosted by local businesses.
Successful graduates will form small groups to embark on developing their own business and will receive a start-up tool kit to support their trade.
This project encourages trainees to take part in activities to support their community, thereby refining and showcasing their skills and providing valuable resources for local projects. For example,
Projects such as these would not be possible without you. We want to say a big THANK YOU for all of your kind donations, and for your preloved tools which support our projects. If you would like to support our life-changing projects, please click here to give a one-off gift or set up a regular donation. Thank you.
July 2024
