Long term strategy to improve access to employment for different marginalized groups in Somaliland
By Goth Mohamed Goth
Khayraat Development Association is well known for initiating innovative self-help projects with the purpose of preparing the women for job market with the necessary skills that empower them with life planning skills and knowledge of positive planning for starting Business Ventures
Khayraat Development Association vocational education and training Project coordinator Mrs. Amina Farah Carshe speaking during the graduation ceremony for 100 young women who had completed the capacity building training said, “The project has mainly benefited young women from all regions of the country and that the organization has helped youth to set up small scale businesses so as to enhance employment.
Madam Amina said, “an increased number of young women are currently participating in capacity building training activities and improving on their capacity building through mainstreaming sustainable training skills in various programs which will enable them to start viable income generations projects .
Learning a new trade is one step closer to finding a job to make a living in Somaliland’s. With high unemployment rates and limited chances of opening doors to the job market, many young people mainly women chances of getting employed is low and are usually stuck in absolute poverty.
“It is anticipated that by the end of the project period, there will be realization of positive living and reduced levels of dependency among young women in project Regions and successful graduates received a financial grant and the tool related to their new trade, to help them increase their chances of future employment ”, she said.
ILO and IIDA Women Development organization obtained the necessary funds from EU for the training of 400 young women in capacity building vital for starting viable income generations projects through capacity building training was facilitated by Khayraat Development Association support to vocational skills trainings is part of a longer term strategy to improve access to employment for different marginalized groups in Somaliland.
A) Objectives of the Workshop
i. Improving skills of women in small business
ii. Enhancing the information sharing among the women in small business
iii. Introduce basic principle of good business management in a simple and practical way
iv. Improve your business aims to make small businesses more viable, and so contribute to the creation of more job
KDA profile
Khayraad Development Association (KDA)
Six Regional Women Associations
Profile
A )As the need for Somaliland women development became necessary, Khayraat a local multipurpose association has taken the burden to intervene and sought possible productive solutions on the issue.
The immediate target objective was to create professional women associations in all regions of Somaliland and to open representative branches. In mid of 2009, KDA organized and shared ideas with the representatives of the associations to structure their bylaws and formation of one common umbrella named Somaliland Women Development Agenda (SOWDA) funded by COSPE an International Italian Organization residing Nairobi. KDA with support of COSPE coordinated 60 women from different sectors in all regions. SOWDA under Khayraad Development Association (KDA) will compile all informational data on the development and welfare issues of the women they are serving on the basis of a universally adopted system of informational data.
The umbrella with the help of KDA will then provide useful informational data on the various issues and areas, programs and topics of great interest to their associations where as prioritizing them under their participation it would be easy to perform essential feasibility study of real needs of Somaliland women in all its phases whether education, trainings, capacity building, viable income generations projects and other essential assistance demanded in all possible means. According tour experience in these issues this shall be the most rapid way for immediate intervention and real effective, secured action.
In all the talk about tackling the economic crisis, Somaliland Government Authorities are missing one critical and fundamental factor: the centrality of investing in women entrepreneurs and women profession lists. It is essential for both short-term economic recovery and long-term economic growth in Somaliland. It also holds the potential to catalyze a lasting shift in women’s political participation and leadership. Since small businesses form the backbone of every economy in everywhere, the fact that in here women own more tiresome businesses not more than feeding families, this indicates that international donors and policy makers need to put women center-stage as they tackle the economic crisis.
Problem Statement
•Difficult access to the financial support (loan or grants)
•Lack of internal and external financial support towards development of businesswomen development
•Lack of development advice system
•Poor co-ordination among the key actors involved of women development
•Poor information on the success stories of women in business and working women
•Lack of technical skills and knowledge to create sustainable businesses and professional associations
•Business women involvements are not mentioned on Somaliland national plan.
Therefore, with the help of International donors, we would like to empower Somaliland women to promote and encourage them
Goals
1. Seek and allocate financial support for all development schemes for women.
2. To provide appropriate training and education for both the leadership and the association members.
3. Educate young girls to cope the world they live in
4. Create income generations projects for the association in order to minimize dependency on external funds.
5. To ensure security and the success of women
Activities
1.Prepare a full study
2. Allocate funds for the project step by step as possible
3. Construct the centers furnish it and equip it fully
To provide appropriate training and education for both the leadership and the association members
Make full feasibility study
• Pinpoint suitable income generation projects
• Provide seeds capital for each group who have finished training
• For sustainability create soft loan opportunities available
• Search funds for Associations major schemes (Small scale/Medium)
• Health issue awareness
Overall Strategic Goal
Realize development and welfare of Somaliland Women in all aspects of life with in the coming five years.
Activities
1.Make premises for training of the members in all regions.
2 .Create the essential leader ship and other human resource
3. Seek and allocate financial support for all development schemes
Workshop for the Formation of Women Association Held at Mansoor Hotel
Woman selling assorted grains of local production
Women livestock trader checking sheep in Hargesia market
Fish sellers in the fish shop
A young woman selling local raw salt,
All these women having vendor kind businesses get their income in harsh ways. They get up 5A.M and go home at 6PM without eating well and lack of toilets. Their income is just to feed their kids and sometime they loose money not having good sales some of the days or not knowing how to make good book keeping. In Somaliland women are the breadwinners for their families and for this sake the support of the donors and care of the government is greatly missing. Therefore, Khayraad Development Association is ready to support these women in the ground if we get the fund from the Donors. KDA is already made an assessment well and organized some regional associations and have the experts to do so. KDA chair is a businesswoman having Master Degree in International Trade from George Mason University in Virginia, U.S.A.
Fiberglass boats and water tanks making business owned by a one of the country’s woman Entrepreneur
