A vocational training project is getting kids jobs. The VEMA project, run by the VETA College in Mwanza with Plan International and Belgian Development Cooperation support, is teaching skills to marginalized youth. VETA Mwanza Principal Engineer Henry Kasele said it started in March 2024, aiming to help 800 young people from Ilemela and Nyamagana districts. Training covers auto electricity, mechanics, welding, tailoring, and cooking. Project Coordinator Gadiel Kayanda stated that 200 were in the first phase, with 171 graduating. Twenty-eight graduates now work at hotels and garages, while twenty started their own businesses.
Beneficiary Jesca Kanuti runs a plumbing service, saying she can now support her family. The project spent eighty million shillings on training and forty million on startup tools. It also formed 53 savings groups with over 1,150 members, saving more than 192.9 million shillings. Ilemela Municipal Council's Community Development Officer, Yusuph Omollo, noted the council offers ten percent loans to youth and women, but they must be repaid. Challenges included trainee absenteeism due to family duties, with five female trainees giving birth during the course.
Beneficiary Jesca Kanuti runs a plumbing service, saying she can now support her family. The project spent eighty million shillings on training and forty million on startup tools. It also formed 53 savings groups with over 1,150 members, saving more than 192.9 million shillings. Ilemela Municipal Council's Community Development Officer, Yusuph Omollo, noted the council offers ten percent loans to youth and women, but they must be repaid. Challenges included trainee absenteeism due to family duties, with five female trainees giving birth during the course.
