DOHA: A total of 1,100 Yemeni youth benefited from entrepreneurship orientation and training provided by Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) in partnership with CARE International and Silatech.
The initiative is part of a $1.2m project ‘Toward Better Economic Opportunities for Youth in Sana’a and Hajjah’. The two-year project aims to improve economic opportunities for Yemen’s youth and offer viable alternatives to formal employment in a country disadvantaged by high unemployment and a growing population of young people.
Through training and mentorship, the ROTA-funded project provided youth with business skills, training, entrepreneurship, orientation and linkages to youth-friendly financial services, allowing them to capitalise on their skills through self-employment.
The project was launched in early 2014 in four districts in the Hajjah Governorate, including Abs and Hajjah, and three districts in the Sana’a Governorate — Maeen, Bani Al Hareth, and Sawan. ROTA worked with Silatech and its partners in Yemen to teach 1,100 youth skills and knowledge for self-employment. It also granted another 1,000 young Yemenis access to information and support services to assist entrepreneurship, enabling them to harness local resources.
Essa Al Mannai, Executive Director, ROTA, said: “The collaboration on the project has had an important and positive impact on a country whose economy is extremely limited. The intelligent design of the project meets educational and employment needs of youth, and its innovative approach helps promote sustainable long-term development in the country.”
Daw Mohamed, Country Director for Yemen, CARE International, said: “The unique initiative is providing for Yemen’s future by supporting and incentivising its youth. Through this partnership, the younger generation will be able to pursue their career goals and facilitate change in their immediate environments and within their country.”
Many young people in Yemen have benefitted from the project, such as 24-year-old Elham Radman Al Qadasi, who lives in one of the most marginalised communities. Elham lives in a small rented house with her mother, she supports due to her ill health.
The success of her plan has allowed her to work in the beauty business as a hairdresser and, over the past 16 months, she has served her community from home.
The Peninsula
