TSUMEB - The Namibian SOS Children’s Village and the Finnish Embassy recently launched the Youth Employability Project (YEP), which will give N$10 000 start-up capital to 20 young people in the country to boost entrepreneurship.
SOS Family Strengthening Programme coordinator Thomas Ankoshi said in an interview with Nampa on Monday that through funding from the Embassy of Finland, the project is supporting disadvantaged young people to become self-reliant and contributing members of society.
“YEP also made provision for post-secondary education tuition payments and stipends to those seeking on-the-job training to prepare them for the labour market, increase their employment prospects to become self-reliant,” said Ankoshi.
He added that YEP aims to contribute towards a reduction in the youth unemployment rate by providing young people with a variety of employability opportunities, through career excursions and development and providing the start-up capital to 20 unemployed young people.
“The project targets young people that are in tertiary education and those completing vocational training to train them on basic entrepreneurship skills as well as job preparation training such as CV writing and interview techniques to mention a few.”
He said SOS Children’s Village Namibia aims to sustainably excel in providing quality childcare and protection encompassing diverse alternative care, family preservation, and transformative youth empowerment that prioritises the well-being and development of every child and young person under its programmes.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to partner with Finland Embassy and other stakeholders in advancing the entrepreneurship activities,” he said.
He added that it is a collective duty to ensure each young person’s ability is not limited by their circumstances and encouraged young people to actively participate in activities that contribute towards their self-reliance.
Namibia’s SOS Children’s Village currently has branches in Windhoek, Tsumeb and Ondangwa with over 330 vulnerable children and young people who have lost parental care. - Nampa