Sida support transforms life in Harare, Zimbabwe
A delegation of Swedish Parliamentarians and members of the United Nations Association of Sweden visit a public-private partnership intervention on the outskirts of Harare.
16 April 2018
HARARE (ILO News) A delegation of Parliamentarians from Sweden visited a joint initiative by ILO, UNFPA, City of Harare and Lafarge Cement in Hopley, Harare South. The delegation of Swedish Parliamentarians comprised Ms Kerstin Lundgren MP for the Central Party, Ms Emma Nohrén MP for the Green Party, Ms Birgitta Ohlsson, MP for the Liberal Party and Mr Krister Örnfjäder, MP for the Social Democratic Party. Among the delegation were also members of UNA – the United Nations Association (UNA) - Mr Aleksander Gabelic, President UNA Sweden and Head of delegation, Ms Petra Hallebrant, Secretary-General of UNA Sweden and Ms Karin Johansson, Sustainable Development Manager.
The delegation being briefed about the demonstration road. The clinic in the background.
Hopley is a peri-urban district located on the outskirts of Harare with a population of about 200 000 people, with about 65000 being aged between 10 to24years. It is characterized by high levels of migration, poor infrastructure, weak social services, low education, high unemployment and informality. Child marriages and teenage pregnancies are rife and at a rate of 18 and 21 per cent, respectively. Seventy per cent of women are mothers by the age of 24.
The initiative seeks to support young people to lead healthy productive lives through reducing unwanted pregnancies, early marriages, incidences of HIV, school dropouts and creating employment opportunities in this cohort. The Hopley Joint Initiative on Adolescent and Youth Development (JPAYD) conducted skills training interventions in partnership with St. Peters’ Kubatana Vocational Training Centre.
Sharing the results, the ILO Director, Ms Hopolang Phororo said “through informal apprenticeships, over fifty young people were trained in brick and block laying, carpentry and joinery, plumbing and electrical fittings and are now contributing to the construction of the polyclinic and multi-purpose youth centre under the supervision of skilled artisans from the community. An additional fifty young people received training in cobblestone technology – a low cost employment intensive approach to the provision of access roads, and proceeded to construct a demonstration road.”
In addition to learning technical skills, the apprentices have been inducted into a culture of business and networks, which will make it easier for them to find jobs or get into self-employment upon completing their apprenticeships. Past initiatives have seen around 70 per cent of graduates getting into self or wage employment. Another key part of the initiative has been to promote gender equality by promoting the participation of young women in traditionally male dominated areas of work and 56 per cent of the apprentices are female.
The Programme has created a total of 4,200 work days for the community. These work opportunities have benefited about 120 young apprentices, 60 artisans, 190 casual workers. By the time the project is completed during April 2018, a total of USD 220 000 would have been transferred to workers in the community and small businesses around the work site.
The Head of Delegation, Mr Gabelic said that the visit is both an
The Swedish Parliamentarians also had an opportunity to interact with young people who benefitted from the skills training and employment opportunities. Dangling a set of keys to his one roomed house which he said he built after acquiring building skills, Aubry said that he was now a proud owner of a house; which he would not have dreamt of before this intervention.
ILO Director (in white coat) sitting next to Mr Yu Yu, UNFPA Deputy Representative, with the Swedish delegation listening to the youth telling their life stories.
The group of young women and men, all come from deprived backgrounds and the young women, who are single mothers, can now send their children to school. Speaking at the same gathering UNFPA Deputy Country Representative, Mr Yu Yu said that assessments of all development indicators they had undertaken for the area were in the negative.
“One day if you hear of a Kush Electrical and Construction Company, you should know that it will be I, Kudakwashe from the Hopley project” grinned the young woman who said that the project had opened opportunities for her as an electrician. She is now assured of sending her two year old daughter to school because there are multiple construction projects in the community around them and her services have already been engaged, and paid for - installing electrical fittings in two houses.
Hopley is a peri-urban district located on the outskirts of Harare with a population of about 200 000 people, with about 65000 being aged between 10 to24years. It is characterized by high levels of migration, poor infrastructure, weak social services, low education, high unemployment and informality. Child marriages and teenage pregnancies are rife and at a rate of 18 and 21 per cent, respectively. Seventy per cent of women are mothers by the age of 24.
The initiative seeks to support young people to lead healthy productive lives through reducing unwanted pregnancies, early marriages, incidences of HIV, school dropouts and creating employment opportunities in this cohort. The Hopley Joint Initiative on Adolescent and Youth Development (JPAYD) conducted skills training interventions in partnership with St. Peters’ Kubatana Vocational Training Centre.
Sharing the results, the ILO Director, Ms Hopolang Phororo said “through informal apprenticeships, over fifty young people were trained in brick and block laying, carpentry and joinery, plumbing and electrical fittings and are now contributing to the construction of the polyclinic and multi-purpose youth centre under the supervision of skilled artisans from the community. An additional fifty young people received training in cobblestone technology – a low cost employment intensive approach to the provision of access roads, and proceeded to construct a demonstration road.”
In addition to learning technical skills, the apprentices have been inducted into a culture of business and networks, which will make it easier for them to find jobs or get into self-employment upon completing their apprenticeships. Past initiatives have seen around 70 per cent of graduates getting into self or wage employment. Another key part of the initiative has been to promote gender equality by promoting the participation of young women in traditionally male dominated areas of work and 56 per cent of the apprentices are female.
The Programme has created a total of 4,200 work days for the community. These work opportunities have benefited about 120 young apprentices, 60 artisans, 190 casual workers. By the time the project is completed during April 2018, a total of USD 220 000 would have been transferred to workers in the community and small businesses around the work site.
Contributions by the partners – In a box
A public private partnership venture with a total budget of USD 1.2 million:- City of Harare contributed USD 150 000
- Lafarge cement contributes USD 50 000 (in stones and cement)
- UNFPA provided USD 800 000
- ILO provided USD 200 000 from the Regular Budget Supplementary account (RBSA)
The Head of Delegation, Mr Gabelic said that the visit is both an
“experience-sharing and learning tour for our MPs. As UNA, we seek to bring knowledge not only to our MPs in Sweden but to the rest of the citizens on how the work of the United Nations and other development partners is transforming the lives of the poor.”
The Swedish Parliamentarians also had an opportunity to interact with young people who benefitted from the skills training and employment opportunities. Dangling a set of keys to his one roomed house which he said he built after acquiring building skills, Aubry said that he was now a proud owner of a house; which he would not have dreamt of before this intervention.
The group of young women and men, all come from deprived backgrounds and the young women, who are single mothers, can now send their children to school. Speaking at the same gathering UNFPA Deputy Country Representative, Mr Yu Yu said that assessments of all development indicators they had undertaken for the area were in the negative.