In an effort to handle unemployment in Busia County, Dhamira Moja CBO, a civil society organization, together with Brighter Monday Kenya and the Mastercard Foundation, has partnered to train youths on soft and entrepreneurship skills.
Speaking after a training session at Okame Technical and Vocational College, Dhamira Moja CBO Executive Director Sarah Martha said the training was aimed at enlightening the youth on the job market and how they could be competitive.
“We are helping the youth on how they can package themselves so that they can fit in the job market after school and also how they can be able to create employment and help others. This training is helping to create opportunities for our people to get information and skills that can help them,” she said.
Martha stated that the program was meant to benefit youth aged between 18-35 years adding that other than entrepreneurship skills, other skills offered include effective communication, personal effectiveness, emotional intelligence, employability skills, creativity, and problem-solving.
“The training is continuous, and we will offer different skills and thereafter a certificate. We are targeting a total of 5,250 youth across Busia County and 310,000 across the country. We want our youth to come and be able to understand which opportunities are available there for them.”
Martha also indicated that, as an organization, they will be working on how to provide job solutions to the youth through various interventions.
“We are going to work with several sponsors who are helping to link employees to employers. We will also be providing working tools to others so that when they get out, they can start to do their work.”
The official urged the youth to come out in large numbers to get the skills that they will use to better their lives, calling on those who are engaging in drug abuse to embrace the training and learn skills that can add value to their lives and move out of drug abuse.
A trainee, Emmanuel Areba, said the training has offered them a challenge and an insight on the importance of acquiring different skills and how they can face the job market.
“We have learned the need to do extra work beyond what we know. There is a need for basic skills in ICT too because most jobs need these skills and this training has given us a lot of knowledge and challenge,” Areba said.
Additionally, another trainee, Diana Akwatait, called on the sponsors to help the students who are in schools through payment of school fees.
“We are grateful for the training, which has impacted us. As students, we have many challenges, more so with paying school fees. My urge is that if they could chip in on paying school fees or at least exam fees, it would play a big role in our lives,” Akwatait said.
Jentrix Opembe urged her fellow girls to ensure they take the opportunity and get the skills that are being offered.
Opembe added that the training will have a big impact on her life, as she has understood what is required in the job market.
By Salome Alwanda and Rodgers Omondi
