The Youth Self-Employment in Southern Ethiopia Region, ‘YES’ project conducted a Training of Trainers on Mindset and basic business skills from November 25-30, 2024.
The six-day training took place in Jinka and Turmi towns of the Aari and the South Omo zones respectively that involved 122 trainees.
According to Mr. Fekadu Tesfaye, the “YES” project Lead, Chief of Youth & Women Economic Empowerment program of the Hailemariam & Roman Foundation, the trainees were recruited from universities, technical and vocational education and training institutes, and local sector offices in the 5 project woredas namely; Salamago, Hamer, BennaTsemay, South Aari, and North Aari as well as Jinka town Administration. Selection of the trainees took into account proficiency in local languages and those skilled in sign language.
“We’ve so far enrolled over 4,000 young women, young men, people with disabilities, and internally displaced people (IDPs) in the project for the first round of the outreach program, who will then be given specialized demand driven training, financial inclusion, and connecting the youth to high-potential agricultural and tourism markets,” Mr. Fekadu said, emphasizing the TOT component will enable the trainers to be equipped with the essential insight regarding mindset and basic skills before training the project participants.
During the training sessions, Dr. Alemayehu Assefa, co-lead of the “YES” project and Chief of Climate Smart Conservation and Eco-tourism of the Hailemariam & Roman Foundation, outlined the anticipated outcomes of the training, highlighting its role in empowering young women, men, people with disabilities, the internally displaced people as well as refugees by equipping them with the essential knowledge and skills.
The “YES” project is implemented by the Mastercard Foundation in partnership with the Hailemariam & Roman Foundation (HRF), aiming to empower 32,146 destitute young people, constituting 70% young women, and the 30% encompassing young men, people with disabilities, internally displaced persons, and refugees in the five pilot project woredas and the Jinka town Administration.