The Trust House

Further to a recent post, it’s time now to let the cat out of the bag…And it’s a big one…

Background

The entire formation of Muhaka has an approximately population of about 2000 people, with more than 99% being Muslims of the Digo community. The remaining percentage consists of social workers and business people. Each village has a small business centre, acting as a meeting point for the community.

Formal Sector unemployment rates in the village are over 80%, most adults deriving their minimal income from the informal sector. Qualifications of Youth are too limited to allow them to seek jobs. Due to this, a large number of school leavers end up doing manual jobs such as charcoal making, motor bikes taxi drivers (without proper licence), house helps (girls), sand mining and being beach boys. Using of drugs and early marriages is also at high rate as girls are considered prime enough to be wives immediately they are through with their primary education, and with no hope to continue with any training

“Youth unemployment is one of the most pressing social and economic problems facing less developed countries. Kenya, like many African countries, suffers from high youth unemployment. According to the 2005 Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey, approximately 21% of youths aged 15?29 are unemployed, and a further 25% were neither in school nor working. High unemployment can have significant social and economic consequences: a recent World Bank report showed that the majority of violent acts during the post election crisis in Kenya were perpetrated by underemployed youth.

(Extract from study document conducted by Berkley University)

Yet despite the importance of youth unemployment, there is virtually nothing to offer youth during the school?to?work transition, or how to boost human capital for those not on the academic schooling track. Vocational education is one promising avenue for addressing the problem, in particular through the dynamic private vocational sector.

Camp Kenya established a permanent base in Muhaka for volunteers in 2007 and committed to a range of different projects within the area including improving primary school facilities (construction and furnishing of new classrooms, a library and ICT centre); improving livelihoods of the surrounding community through supporting various environmentally friendly income generating activities (biofuel production, ecotourism, biomass charcoal production) and to protecting the sacred Kaya Muhaka forest. So much has been achieved over the past four years and with all this experience and being part and parcel, we believe we are ready to take the next giant step forward…

Welcome to the TRUST HOUSE

Aim:
Through education and opportunity our aim is to enable communities to break the circle of poverty.

Vision:
Our vision is to bring our experience and success together to create a learning and information centre for children and young people that will cater not only for basic needs but also provide a foundation for individual and community development and encompass creative, ethical and environmental principals and practices. We will implement various income-generating activities, which will be run by the centre in order to ensure financial sustainability within four years of establishment.

Project Goal:
Facilitate the development of a vocational training school including carpentry, tailoring and agroforestry to promote economic self-determination and alleviate poverty and empower communities surrounding Shimba Hills, Kenya through subsidised formal vocational training

Project Expected Results:

1. Provide necessary practical skills through training for secondary school leavers.
2. Increased number of individuals finding work.
3. Better access to markets, knowledge of farming techniques, networks for marketing on community products and skill base for production.
4. Reduce rural poverty
5. Reduce rapid urban migration of youth

Thanks to the additional support of the Camps International Trust and all the hard work our volunteers have put in over the years, we have now purchased 3 acres of land, which has been fenced and the first phase of development to construct a tailoring school for girls is well underway

This entry was written by Dipesh. Add to your Google+ circles.

Posted on Monday, August 22nd, 2011. Remember to leave a comment!