Empowering youth in Kenya through Skills Development - NTV Feature Story

NTV, one of Kenya’s largest broadcast stations produced a feature story on 30/10/2016 profiling Lillian Haggai (24 yrs) and Eunice Akoth (20 yrs), two beneficiaries of the Skill Up! project by Welthungerhilfe. Welthungerhilfe Kenya has partnered with Watoto Wa Lwanga in a Skills Development project dubbed “Skill Up!” The project is an international skills development program for young people in several African and Asian countries, which have been chosen because they have a very young and vibrant population with plenty of untapped potential. The main aim is to empower youth from disadvantaged backgrounds through skills based training in areas such as hairdressing and beauty therapy, fashion and design, electrical installation, motor vehicle mechanics/electrical and food processing technology. In addition, upon completion of these courses, the students are assisted with job linkages. The goal is to enable these youths to become more productive in order to be able to find employment and generate a decent income. Since its inception in August 2015, “Skill Up!” has focused on youth aged between 15 and 35 years. The project also offers a special program for young mothers aged between 14 and 18 years. The project also incorporates entrepreneurial and life skills classes thus in the long run, successful graduates from St. Charles will enter the job market with a competitive edge that prepares them for employment or self-employment thus increasing their opportunities of earning an income. The institute is situated in Raila Village, an informal settlement in Kibera, Nairobi.