Why I'm Not Getting the Money

3 years ago, there was a grant released for startups, a friend of mine called to help access the fund for her. She has this business idea of producing engine oil. I wondered how prepared she is and the capacity/experience to run the business.

All the questions threw at her to assess her capability to successfully run the business, was verbally answered with no in-depth thoughts. The giants brands already existing in the market, she boasts hers will beat theirs. *Smiles

I sent the application form for the grant to her. After going through, she got angry that why would they ask all the questions just for one to get the grant.

In 2019, a lady into fashion designing verbally convinced me of the brand she is building. Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship grant program was ongoing then. I downloaded and printed out all the questions because I know she didn't have knowledge of digital skills.

I invited her over and gave her the print out containing questions about her business. "Go home, sleep over the questions, answer them and when you are done, return them so I can help you review and submit".

After three days, she returned the paper and said she can't answer any of the questions about her business. I wept! I collected the paper and then started counselling her.

I keep encountering startups like the duo above. I feel so much concerned and wish I could do more to help them.

I frown at most philanthropists and wealthy individuals who give such startups capital to invest in their business. Allow us to train and empower them with the needed skills so your money will be well invested and utilized.

We are a click away. So many oppournities are wasting and our young people are not tapping into them. Let's build them up and prepare them ready for oppournities.

©Udegboka Nkechi (Ada Africa)

+2348033842029 (WhatsApp)

What You Don't Need to Know About the Rural-based Youths

Whispering Hope Africa Initiative (WHAI) had a focus group discussion in July 2020 involving the youths in Anaku community of Ayamelum LGA. 34 youths (26 males and 8 females) participated including two staff members from Coscharis Farms.

We had 11 question-discussion guide that enabled us understand more of their challenges and the interventions they seek for. The discussion went on for an hour 30 minutes. During the discussion, we were made to understand that the major problems they as youths face in the Anaku community include their lack in basic skills needed for them to thrive e.g. education and entrepreneurship. They made known that most of the youths who live on hard drugs are mainly school drop outs. They mostly drop out from school because of lack of parental support, poverty and negligence.

Sharing some of the challenges they are facing in their community, we understood that youth restiveness, drug abuse, lack of education and entrepreneurship skills constitute a huge problem. Lack of modern agricultural skills and facilities also pose a huge threat as they narrated that a good number of them are unemployed, some venture into small scale business, and the farmers been duped on several occasions trying to access loans.

The rural-based youths were open and showed sign of excitement for the FGD. They requested for more of such once in a while and at the same time pleaded we start training them right away on some of the issues arising from the discussion.

From the discussion, we can deduce their pressing needs are:

Value re-orientation

Train on agricultural skill

Capacity building on entrepreneurship including financial literacy

Booking keeping and business structuring (for easy loan assessment)

Talent discovery, developing and utilizing same

Providing access to market for their farm produce as sometimes they sell below the cost price

Give them access to farm machineries

Recommendations:

The foremost need is value orientation to turn around their mindsets and promote confidence. Once their mindset is changed and positive, it will help every other intervention to work and be well received.

However, the value orientation can be integrated with partial exposure to talent/passion discovery, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, leadership, book keeping, market access and tech skills.

Reported by Ezinwa Chinyere for @WHAIafrica

+2348174120686

WYSD 2020: Skills for a Resilient Youth in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond

World Youth Skills Day is created to raise awareness of the skills gap keeping young people out of work. World Youth Skills Day 2020 will take place in a challenging context of COVID-19 pandemic.

Millions of youths are kept out of job by a lack of skills. However, obtaining some skills could help them reach their full potential. With the COVID-19, the skills youths need to find, remain in a job or keep business afloat keep changing.

Millions of young people still lack access to 21st century skills, some only hold on to their certificates. As the global economy evolves, youths should focus on developing their raw talents, abilities and competencies they need to succeed. Something as simple as good communication can take one global or something as specific as engineering.

At Whispering Hope Africa Initiative (WHAI), we support youth skills in slum/rural communities by first discovering their talents and passion so they will be properly guided and mentored. We work with the government, companies and private partners to equip them with entrepreneurial and career skills.

WHAI is transforming the formal vocational training experience or empowerment programs politicians do organize. Vocational skill is not enough, because we see those who underwent those empowerment programs still unemployed and not utilizing the skills theyve learnt.

Through one of our projects, Beyond Skill Initiative (BSI), we offer Value Orientation to change their mindset, expose them to financial literacy, business plan writing, understanding the market, the trends, marketing strategy, branding positioning etc. Everything that equips them become more productive and thrive in their respective learnt skills, including tapping into the ICT market potential that will boost their learnt skills.

We are passionately equipping young people with the skills and support they need to succeed in life. Our aim is to close the skills gap and empower youths to be the best they can be.

You can help by sharing this message, partner with us or connect with us @WHAIafrica on all social media platforms to follow and benefit from our work. WhatsApp also +2348033842029

We would be on 1 TV and 3 radio stations today educating our youths on this and discussing tips to ease them acquire the skills.

Improve youth skills , and change the world!

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