Overview:
Our partners would like to start an educational and income-generating embroidery and sewing enterprise as part of the development of their Business Incubation Hub. The project will provide skills training to 40 disadvantaged adults and young people, primarily women and girls. Experienced trainers will provide basic sewing skills training for two groups of 20 participants for six months each. It will also provide a low-cost sewing and embroidery service to the community, particularly students and families of the local King of Kings School and other educational institutions that our partners operate. As a result, it will improve the financial viability of our partners and students.
Why support this:
Mozambique has extremely high unemployment and chronic skills shortages due to lack of education and training opportunities for young people and very low rates of school education completion. Given the damage that Cyclone Idai caused to 90% of Beira, the second largest city, in 2019, a block-making enterprise is ideal for the context, in which quality, affordable bricks and trained construction labourers are in high demand. The spread of COVID has further crippled the economy and driven more people into extreme poverty, adding to the urgent need for vocational training opportunities that will equip and empower young people for gainful employment and financial independence.
Budget: $30,000 for Year One of a three year project.
The Need:
Mozambique is considered one of the poorest countries in the world with more than 50% living below the poverty line. Ranked 181 out of 188 nations on the Human Development Index, Beira has a population of 600,000 and has all the symptoms of extreme poverty, particularly in the communities where our partners work – high rates of HIV/AIDS, lack of employment and educational opportunities, child/grandparent-headed households, lack of infrastructure, little or no access to services and so on. 42% of the population is illiterate and 45% of the population is under 15 years.
Expected Life Change:
