By Binta Jaiteh
The Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) has donated some basic needs equipment to outgoing students of Fajara Skills Development Centre (FSDC) with aimed of helping them to start their learned professions and expand their businesses.
The donated equipment for the outgoing students included steamers, blow dryers, shampoos, new sewing machines, cutting tables and cupboards, gas cookers, fryers and freezing pans for cookery.
Mrs Jean Able- Thomas, commended the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) for the tremendous gesture to the graduates, saying it would help curb irregular migration to Europe.
“You are the people we thought deserve to get the materials but we hope you live to expectation. Five years down the line I would like to hear you engage into entrepreneurship,” she said.
She advised the beneficiaries to make best use of the equipment so that the incoming students would benefit from the same opportunity. “Because if YEP see progress on your work. They (YEP) will do it for the coming ones again.”
Madam Able-Thomas described the gesture as significant, saying it would help in employing the young people and prevent them from embarking on irregular migration to Europe to risk their lives.
She said many youths are embarking on this horrible journey to Europe due to lack of employment in the country.
Kebba Badjie, outgoing tailoring student commended YEP for the gesture. He said the equipment would help him to establish tailoring workshop in the near future.
“This is the first sewing materials I have ever gain; therefore, I will never forget YEP,” he added.
Fatoumatta Marena, outgoing cookery students said: “The skills i obtained from this school will help me a lot because when I was coming here, I was not able to cook some foods but now I can cook well.”
Ms Marena also a restaurant owner said the donated materials would help her to expand the business and employ more young people.
The Gambia Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) addresses the economic root causes of irregular migration by supporting youth employment and entrepreneurship. It focuses on vocational training and support for micro and small-sized enterprises and creates new jobs in selected sectors through value addition and internationalization.
