Nonprofit

Youth Skills For Development

Kitwe, 08, Zambia | www.youthskills4dev.org

About Us

Mission

We are a Zambian Community Based Organisation that helps to create an environment and opportunities for the youth to have access to information and skills needed for survival and economic sustainability, human rights for all, quality health care, and meaningful participation in sustainable development. We do this by providing skills training opportunities and graduate support, access to information resources, human rights education, access to health care information, a platform for dialogue and advocacy.

Vision

We are committed to contribute to a society where every youth has equal and adequate access to information relevant for their survival and development, and affordable income generating skills acquisition and application for their attainment of economic sustainability and is able to live in an environment which supports access for all to equal meaningful participation in sustainable development, human rights for all, information, entrepreneurship and quality health care.

Key Program Areas

Our key program areas:

Our programs have been categorized and designed in such a way that we meet our overall goal, mission and vision .Our target for the period from the year 2011 to 2015 is to meet the following:

- Two Information access centers established with relevant information resources within two years

- Youths access information and use it for their survival and development

- A Skills training center with branches in key townships/compounds established within two years

- Rate of unskilled youths reduced by 50% within five years

- Occupational support initiative established within two years

- Rate of unemployment reduced by 50% within 5 years

- Rate of skilled youths who are not in occupation reduced by 75% within five years

- Rate of economically sustainable youths increase by 40% within five years

- Youth representation in leadership and decision making roles increase by 25% within five years

- Youths participate in and facilitate the initiation of political, economic, social and environmental community projects.

- Human rights education and respect increase by 40% within five years

- Health care information access increase by 60% within five years

Thus projects are designed in line with a particular program or a combination of programs, with the effort to make it have sustainable impact on our beneficiaries.

The following are our key program areas:

  1. 1. Survival Skills Training and Development ,

Within many urban, peri-urban, rural and otherwise disadvantaged communities, access to education means access to a better future. More so, with an evolving work force that requires skilled personnel with up to date skills, lifelong learning is cardinal for every citizen to be a competitive employee or prospect employee. However, there are inadequate and unaffordable skills training opportunities for the youth and other citizens as shown in the Chimwemwe community social research (2006) report, 72% of the youth who are in employment, have not attended college education –they are not trades/artisans, 74% of those who have finished secondary education have not been to college –they have not attained any income generating skill. Others cannot afford fees at tertiary institutions as a result of coming from low income families and other reasons, and many others have attained a minimum of junior secondary school education and cannot be accepted at tertiary institutions since they do not meet the academic admission requirements needed at these institutions.

The Survival Skills training and Development program aims to create affordable, inclusive income generating skills acquisition as well as other relevant skills and lifelong learning opportunities. Key result areas are:

Non-formal courses to teach skills for which there is a market niche are offered to the community. Life Skills and other relevant skills as well as lifelong learning are offered to the community.

2. Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D)

There is lack of access to information for educational purposes as well as on different issues affecting the development of the youth and the communities at large.The ICT4D program aims to increase awareness and use of ICTs in development, and more importantly to increase information access and communication with a community information needs centered approach. This should ensure that people have access to information for their survival and development. Key result areas are:

A community information and communication needs centered information centre based on ICTs and provide information access and communication established in the community. An initiative to increase the awareness and the use of ICTs in different sectors of development establish in the community.

ICTs refer to technologies that facilitate communication and processing of information by electronic means and processing of information by electronic means. Thus, the concept encompasses radio, telephony (fixed and mobile), computers, the Internet, broadband technologies as well as combinations thereof.

  1. 3. Health –HIV/AIDS & SRH

Lack of access to adequate and up to date information on HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, treatment and impact mitigation as well as Sexual and Reproductive Health as well as the absence of appropriate services, makes the youth not to access quality health care. This program aims to increase health care information and services provision in particular HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health to the youth. The key result area is :

Health care information provision service is established in the community with the focus on HIV/AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health for the youth.

  1. 4. Advocacy and Awareness

An absence of youth rights and lack of their sufficient representation in leadership and decision making roles makes the youth not to participate effectively in peace building ,governance ,democracy and sustainable community development .As much as this situation remains unattended to, the youth continues to remain in the fringes of the community and in abject poverty. This program aims to bring awareness and advocate for the respect of human rights for all to ensure youths enjoy their civil, political, social and economic rights, while having adequate representation in leadership and decision making roles , have their voice heard. The key result areas are:

A human rights education provision and enforcement service is established in the community A forum and dialogue for elders, community leaders, political leaders, businesses, health and education institutions, faith based institutions and youth is established in the community

  1. 5. Entrepreneurship and Artisan Support.

With the increased lack of employment, entrepreneurship is the most promising and evident alternative that will ensure increased income and sustainable livelihoods. For those who have acquired any income generating skill, they cannot afford tools in any quantity because of coming from low income families; this limits their production or makes them not to produce anything at all. The aim of this program is to provide artisans (those who have attained income generating skills) with occupational support in terms of tools, business and entrepreneurial skills as well as a revolving fund to finance micro business set ups, so as to ensure that they utilize the acquired skills to be in occupation, increase their income and improve their livelihood, breaking the cycles of poverty. This will reduce unemployment rates and make the youths employers. The key result areas are:

An initiative for artisan and apprentice Start up tools and occupational support established in the community A revolving fund to finance micro business set-ups is established in the community A business development/advisory service is available for informal sector businesses in the community. A business hub (centre) has been created for the informal sector in the community. Model Enterprises established by the organization

Mission

We are a Zambian Community Based Organisation that helps to create an environment and opportunities for the youth to have access to information and skills needed for survival and economic sustainability, human rights for all…

Issue Areas Include

Location

  • Kitwe, 08, Zambia
Illustration

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