Second Chance Skilling

Five new enrollees in the baking program…

After a couple pilot projects, Give Us Wings has officially launched a new economic development program: Community Youth Skilling. This program gives young women who have had to drop out of traditional schooling for one reason or another the opportunity to learn a viable business skill. We’re so excited to have this mechanism to give women a “second chance” at education and to offer resources to help them start small business that can help pay for food, school fees, and health care needs.

Special thanks to For a Better Tomorrow for seed money to get this program off the ground. Keep reading to see how it works!

• In consultation with our community partners, young women are chosen to enroll in the program as funds allow. (Each enrollment costs about $500.)

• Participants are given a choice of a variety of enterprises. Currently we offer tailoring, hairdressing, and baking. The women are then enrolled in a training course lasting about 6 months.

• Upon graduation, the women are given a capital investment (sewing machine for the tailors, chair and hairdryer for the hairdressers, an oven for the bakers) along with a package of supplies and materials to get their business started.

• As they progress, Give Us Wings staff provides ongoing assistance to solve problems, identify marketing opportunities, teach about customer service, and connect with additional training opportunities.

• The “community” aspect of Community Youth Skilling is this: once women are successful in their enterprise, they have the opportunity to train newcomers in the program, further increasing their income and creating a circle of benefits.

A quote from Alvin (above center) "From the tailoring business my general welfare has greatly improved. I am able to get money daily. These days I can touch 286,000 ($84) in a month which used to be impossible."