Hoping to offer job opportunities to young people with limited economic resources, the Operation Rescue Association has started vocational training courses in construction – one of the driving sectors of the Ethiopian economy – in Mekelle (Ethiopia), thanks to donations from Harambee.
50 unemployed young people (among them 28 women), all under 35 years old, will learn to create and manage entrepreneurial initiatives in the building sector.
All those selected for the classes seem very excited: “I lived in Mekelle with my mother until I was 14 years old, but when she died, I joined the Operation Rescue Ethiopia Association to continue school,” says Bnyam, who is 21 years old.
“I’m not part of the working world at the moment, and I need to do something important to change my life: that’s why I joined this project.”
Grmay, also 21 years old, has been attending the Association since he was 13: “I have tried to get work since I was young, to support my family: this project is the best opportunity for me to change my life; otherwise, I would have no other choice than to leave my country.”
In addition to learning a job with much promise in the labor market, these students,will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of human rights issues and gender equality.
For more information, download the intermediate report of the project.