SOS Children’s Villages equips 67 young people with startup tools

SOS Children’s Villages has provided startup tools to 67 young individuals from four communities in Ghana’s Ashanti Region, aiming to help them transform their skills into prosperous businesses and enhance their livelihoods. These beneficiaries, hailing from Donyina, Achinakrom, Achiase, and Edumasa, have completed training sessions in both technical and soft skills, designed to equip them with the necessary knowledge to start and manage their own enterprises.

During the presentation ceremony, Bernard Amoako, the Programme Director of SOS Children’s Villages’ Kumasi Programme, expressed the intent of the initiative as empowering young people to become self-reliant. He highlighted the importance of training them to effectively engage with customers, manage finances, and foster business growth.

Amoako also pointed out that the beneficiaries have received additional soft-skills training to complement their technical abilities, ensuring they are fully prepared to handle the practical demands of running a business. “They have the skills to utilize the tools, they have the skills to run and maintain their business. So our hope is that they will do this well, so it will benefit themselves and their families,” he stated.

Joseph Kudjo Yane, the Project Coordinator of the Family Strengthening Project at SOS Children’s Villages, revealed that the organization has currently enrolled 168 young people in its skills acquisition program. Of these, 45 received startup tools in the previous year, and this latest distribution brings the total number of beneficiaries who have received tools to 112.

However, Yane pointed out that some trained young people are still lacking the equipment needed to commence their business ventures. He emphasized that about 50 beneficiaries are still in need of the set-up tools. This prompted him to call upon individuals, philanthropists, guardians, and organizations to extend their support to the program, enabling more beneficiaries to receive the necessary startup tools.

SOS Children’s Villages’ overarching goal for this intervention is to enable young people to generate sustainable incomes and improve the well-being of their families. Yane added that the organization intends to monitor the beneficiaries who have received the tools, assessing their effectiveness in using these resources and identifying any challenges that may require additional support.

Regular follow-ups are scheduled a month, two, or three months after the initial support to evaluate progress and identify any hurdles or successes. Moreover, Yane appealed to traditional leaders, assembly members, opinion leaders, and other community stakeholders to contribute to the sustainability of these interventions.

Those who have already received the startup tools are encouraged to work, earn, and build a future that they can call their own. SOS Children’s Villages believes that continued support from the public and other stakeholders is crucial in providing startup tools for the remaining beneficiaries and in expanding opportunities for young people in these communities.