In northern Ghana where the majority of farmers rely on rain fed agriculture for a living, Climate change, with consequent droughts, floods and other natural disasters, further contributes to the vulnerability of people living in poverty. It is within this context that Trax Ghana in partnership with Tools for Self Reliance (TFSR), UK are working to contribute to poverty reduction by enabling people to proactively secure self employable skills which they can use to look after themselves and their families.
Trax Ghana staff interacting with members of the PIC at Yakort
The project focuses on marginalised people such as landless youth of 25 years and below that live in rural areas where few formal job opportunities exist, those who have not had schooling opportunities, single parents, those living with HIV/AIDS and people with disabilities. These are people who, given a helping hand, can transform their lives. The provision of practical and business skills training is at the core of our partnership project.
The project which is aimed at breaking the vicious cycle of poverty, youth unemployment and hopelessness will be implemented in the impoverished Yakort and Kabusgo villages in the Bongo and Nabdam districts of the Upper East region. Twenty-four (24) target beneficiaries will benefit from skills they need to work successfully as blacksmiths, seamstresses, carpenters, auto mechanics, bicycle repairers and more. Beneficiaries will be trained in entrepreneurial skills including Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA), HIV/AIDs and STIs for six days to provide business advice, equip them with skills in credit and business management, marketing, competiveness and health consciousness. This will be followed by vocational training with master craftsmen for ten months to improve their business production and quality of competitiveness. Artisans will be attached to well resource master craftsmen in the various communities. After training they will be given certificates and equipped with start-up tools and encouraged and helped to run their own businesses to use the skills they have learnt, and to work efficiently and effectively which it is hoped in turn will provide employment for others.
By giving them the chance of employment, it will enable them improve their diets, send their children to school, pay for health care and improve their homes, while simultaneously improving their confidence and self esteem.
To ensure community-led and sustainable project implementation, two separate community level project implementation committees made up of influential persons such as the Chief or his representative, Assemblyman, women (magazia) and youth leaders, chairman of the association of the physically challenged among others were put in place at Yakort and Kabusgo project communities to assist Trax Ghana staff identify and select beneficiaries from these target project communities as well as help monitor and evaluate project implementation activities.
Look out for more stories in the coming months as we rollout capacity building trainings for the artisans.
Trax Ghana 