Fresh push to empower the youth

TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO 

Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) in partnership with Empretec Zimbabwe recently held an exhibition where it was showcasing projects it is doing in communities in partnership with the youth.

The gender and social inclusion officer for SNV Sally Mlambo said the combined forces are meant to create employment opportunities for young people.

“We want to encourage our youths to set up enterprises so that they can be self-sustainable because we are looking at the high levels of unemployment. So we are saying we can create our own employment and empower our own youths,” she said.

Mlambo said they are complementing government efforts to encourage entrepreneurship among the youth.

“This is done by providing technical skills, setting up of enterprises making sure that those enterprises that have been set up are sustainable. We are listening to the call of the government where they are talking a lot about entrepreneurship so we are trying to encourage a lot of our youths to take that route.

“We are also encouraging recycling because we know that there’s a lot of dirt but we can make use of that dirt,” she said.

Empretec mentorship lead Fortune Mayedza said the aim is to transform the lives of the youths.

“It’s so important to us as organisations because we complement government efforts. We are saying the work that we said we will fulfill here it is. We want our youths to be exposed, we also want them to be networked.

“We also want them to know that they are doing these things. We want to transform their lives and by doing so we will improve the economy as our policies want youths to be part of,” she said.

Zimbabwe has 67.7% of its population under the age of 35.

Recently, SNV set up two innovation hubs at Nguboyenja and Mabutweni high density suburbs in Bulawayo as a way of transforming the lives of vulnerable youths in the city

“I do green jobs. I recycle old tires into furniture. I pick up old tyres from the streets or from mechanic workshops. The reason why I chose this is because I realised that it affects our ecosystem within the country.

“ Some burn them, especially children find pleasure in doing so, recycling it eliminates the dirt and the ecosystem will be safe, “said Sibonginkosi Bhangu.

Another youth Guest Sonono said he is planning to set up permaculture systems to help mitigate some challenges in the city.

“ I am doing permaculture, this is all about setting up natural systems that mimic nature to benefit us the human beings and regenerate the environment at the same time.

“So I am trying to set up a permaculture system where I tend to have a functional chicken system and do some rain harvesting projects since we have water problems,” he said.

Research says permaculture is the growth of agricultural ecosystems in a self-sufficient and sustainable way. This form of agriculture draws inspiration from nature to develop synergetic farming systems based on crop diversity, resilience, natural productivity, and sustainability

Since 2019 SNV has been implementing the Opportunities for Youth Employment  programme funded to the tune of US$5 million in 11 districts in Zimbabwe.

It seeks to improve the livelihood and prospects of 10 000 out-of-school youths, among whom at least 50% are young women, by creating “green” employment and enterprise opportunities in agriculture, energy and other emerging sectors.