An income generating unit for former street girls in Kumasi
This project is supported by Wilde Ganzen. They will give 50% on top of every donation we receive.
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The Vocational Training Centre (VTC) in Kumasi was established in 2013 and provides a safe home, food, care and vocational training for about 50 street girls. The VTC offers these girls, through a multi-year training programme, the chance to learn the vocation of hairdresser or seamstress. This year, the training to become a caterer was added. Already more than 40 girls have successfully completed this programme. With the nationally recognised NVTI certificate that they obtain through their training, they are equipped with the right knowledge and skills to earn an independent income.
The project ‘Impact Through Enterprise’ has as its goal to build an income generating unit on the grounds of the VTC. This workplace will provide space for a hairdressing salon and dressmaker and is located on a main road, providing access for customers and other interested parties. It also forms a point of sale for the snack and meals produced by the Catering-training.
The income generating unit will have three main goals:
1. The unit will give recent graduates of the VTC the opportunity to gain valuable experience. They will learn the necessary skills to run a successful enterprise, can build up a customer base and will work on a business strategy and competitive specialisation. At the same time, graduates will earn their daily bread by selling their product.
2. The income generating unit will create a safe place for new trainees of the VTC to see the day-to-day work of the three professions in a real work environment. New trainees who still need to decide on a training can have a two-week ‘job tasting’. Trainees in their first year can learn through observation, and second-year trainees can work on short assignment and internships.
3. As a final goal, the unit will generate income: 80% of the generated income will go straight to the women working in the unit, while the other 20% will go to the VTC. This 20% will be used for maintenance and the educational fees of the girls in training.
When the construction of the unit is finished, the ladies who recently graduated from the VTC will get the opportunity the work in the unit for a period of 6 months. It is expected that there will be many orders from the local community. The women will be coached and monitored by a supervisor and the management of Street Children Project. The ladies will be encouraged to evaluate both their own and their colleagues’ work. Workshops in business management and marketing will be provided as well. The project contributes to the self-sufficiency of former street girls, who are now young entrepreneurs, and will enable them to build up confidence and experience in starting their own company and an independent life.