By Elizabeth Nyaguyo
The Plan International has started empowering young people in Epworth and Stoneridge especially those were affected by COVID-19.
The organisation is providing them with projects to ensure that they can sustain their livelihoods.
This comes barely two years now after COVID -19 has caused harm to many people economically most of the people lost their jobs.
Addressing journalists during a meeting conveyed by Plan International, Oriah Musendo, Programs Managers said that as an Organization they have started implementing projects for youths in Stoneridge and Epworth so that they gain back their economic status.
“The Harare Urban Youth Empowerment project is a two-year project that is being implemented in Stone ridge and Epworth the main aim of the project is to ensure that those youths who were affected by COVID-19 they are empowered in making sure that they regain their economic status.
“All we want is to make that we revive the youths to get back into business again so that they will be able to live their lives happy,” he said.
He added that for this project to be a success Plan International is being funded by other stakeholders who shared the same vision with them on assisting young people to have businesses of their own.
“This project is funded by Standard Charted Foundation (SCF) and as Plan we are working with United Kingdom National office that is also working with the Standard Charted Foundation so our funder is SCF,” said Musendo.
Musendo said that since the commence of the project on the 13th of January 2022 they have started training so many youths on different projects.
“We have started training young people aged 16-35 on entrepreneurship training that is the total of 475 that’s 265 women and 210 men and among the 475 we have 29 young people who are living with disabilities.
“We have trained another group of young people which is close to 238 in different projects which includes welding, mushroom production, dress making, beauty therapy as well as hairdressing.
“We have taught these youths what we call Internal Savings and Lending (ISAL)were we are saying that young people need to sustain themselves so they need to borrow and lend money grow their businesses,” he said.
He went on to say that from the money they got from the Standard Charted Foundation they have managed to gave it to some young people so that they start their own businesses.
“We have provided young people with a revolved fund from Standard Charted Foundation we have manged to give 148 young people and the money was given to 33 groups,” he said.
