Empowering Youths and Building Resilient Communities
Story by: Kennedy Amponsah-Cheremeh - Project Officer - Reading Improvement and Skills Enhancement
World Vision Ghana is enhancing community resilience and supporting children's learning through the Reading Improvement and Skills Enhancement (RISE) Technical Programme in Kadjebi Area Programme. This initiative focuses on the most vulnerable adolescents and young people, including those who have dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy, disability, or extreme poverty. The organisation provides them with essential vocational training for sustainable livelihoods.
The youth apprenticeship initiative has benefited 50 youth (39 females and 11 males) from seven communities in the past two years. The first group of 13 youths (9 females and 4 males) has completed over two years of training, while the second group of 37 youths (30 females and 7 males) started their training in June 2024. These young people are learning skills in fashion design, catering, vehicle repair, hairdressing, mobile phone repair, electrical work, motorcycle repair, upholstery and furniture making.
World Vision Ghana has effectively managed this initiative by promoting the programme in communities, engaging with potential beneficiaries and their families, and partnering with master trainers. After a rigorous screening and selection process, the qualified youths and trainers were announced, and visits were made to trainers' workshops. The organisation covered the training fees, provided starter machines and tools, paid for professional examination fees, and offered start-up packages upon completion of training. So far, about 152,000 Ghana cedis have been invested in this initiative, demonstrating World Vision Ghana's commitment to youth empowerment.
In addition to the apprenticeship program, World Vision Ghana has trained 50 volunteers (21 females and 29 males) for the After School Reading Club, which operates in 17 communities. These volunteers, who teach children in their mother tongue, have been trained in secure sustainable livelihoods. Training topics have included mushroom growing, snail farming, rabbit rearing, and soap making. To support these volunteers, World Vision Ghana has provided 40 rabbits to 25 volunteers, 100 snails to 4 volunteers, and soap-making materials to 21 volunteers.
Through these comprehensive programsme, World Vision Ghana is making a significant impact on the lives of vulnerable youths and volunteers, equipping them with the necessary skills and support them to build a brighter and more resilient future for themselves and their communities.
World Vision is an international partnership of Christians whose mission is to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God.