 Some 16 representatives from youth groups in East and Southern Africa that were successful in the 2011 round of UN-HABITAT's Urban Youth Fund recently attended training in Zanzibar.
The fund, now in its third year of operation, grants up to $25 000 to grassroots youth groups to support youth-led urban development projects. This year 59 youth groups from developing countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America will benefit from the fund.
The Zanzibar training programme was opened officially by Phillemon Mutashubirwa, the Habitat Program Manager, and Mr Msham Abdallah Khamis from the Zanzibar Ministry of Youth and Deputy Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Youth Development, Women and Children.
The training focused on project management, financial management, evaluation, and reporting. The 5 day program also incorporated presentations by UN-HABITAT as the hosting organization, and a field visit to a successful youth-led project in Zanzibar.
The 16 participants engaged well with the training and participated with enthusiasm. The trainer and UN-HABITAT staff in attendance were pleased with the sessions and noticed significant improvement in the group's abilities over the course of the 5-day training period.
This gaining of skills and knowledge in project management will allow the 16 young leaders to return home with greater confidence and ability to successfully roll out their projects that UN-HABITAT is funding through the Urban Youth Fund.
In the words of one participant, Mr Samuel Lisenga from Zimbabwe, "the training really equipped me as am now more well able to monitor, evaluate, identify stakeholders, and report on projects to various stakeholders. This will go a long way to improve our operations." |
