160 disadvantaged people are given scholarships to pursue TVET.
Thanks to the Wezesha Vijana initiative, at least 160 underprivileged adolescents in Nairobi have every reason to grin as they set off on a path of empowerment and opportunity.
This program, which is supported by the Safaricom Foundation and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), has given scholarships to 55 men and 105 women from underrepresented backgrounds.
The young people who were chosen from disadvantaged urban origins will enroll in classes at technical and vocational training facilities located throughout Nairobi.
According to Rebecca Hallam, the country representative for CRS, the program will significantly contribute to ensuring that students obtain the skills and knowledge required to secure employment prospects.
Hallam continued, “This will create pathways to prosperity as well as open doors for them to run businesses,” during the scholarship award ceremony.
She declared, “We are here today to recognize a group of outstanding young people who have been selected for TVET scholarships.”
“You have shown that you are willing to embrace learning in order to challenge yourself and to strive for excellence, so your talent, determination, and resilience have not gone unnoticed,” she continued.
Selected kids will receive training in electrical work, food and beverage, welding, plumbing, motor vehicle repairs, fashion and design, beauty, driving, painting, and floor tiling as part of the program, which began in September 2023.
Diana Kamau, a 19-year-old Mathare resident and beneficiary of Hospital Ward, was ecstatic to have been given the chance.
Kamau is heading to the Old Mathari Technical Vocational Training Institute to study painting, decorating, and sign writing.
Speaking at the function, she thanked CRS and Safaricom, stating that without them, her goals of going to school and learning to paint professionally would not have come true.
“That I will be a female painter makes me pleased. Lack of money would have made it difficult for me to attend college without this scholarship,” the woman stated.
“I applied after seeing an advertisement for the scholarships in our church. I passed the interview, was given a one-year scholarship, and will receive a certificate,” she continued.
She mentioned that their home was impacted by the recent floods, and they are presently residing in a camp at Mathare Vocational School.
According to Joseph Ogutu, head of the Safaricom Foundation, the training that young people would receive at TVET colleges is highly tailored to the demands of society.
“TVET training is a strategic area of focus within education which is a key pillar of the Safaricom Foundation strategic plan,” he stated.
In its initial year, the Wezesha Vijana initiative aims to reach around 900 young people.
Its target audience is young people without jobs, degrees, or training.
The three pathways—appreciation of prior learning, apprenticeship, and employment and company start-up support—will be used to implement the program.
In its initial year of implementation, it is being carried out in Nairobi, Marsabit, and Isiolo; in the next years, it will be expanded to four other counties.
The three-year program, which receives funding every year, aims to increase young people’s access to high-quality, inclusive, and equitable learning opportunities.
The program is expected to support the government’s objective of bolstering technical and vocational education in order to improve the nation’s ability to provide kids with real-world training.
The government has given TVET institutions all throughout the nation Sh28.3 billion for this fiscal year.
Additionally, the program is helping to achieve SDG #4.
160 disadvantaged people are given scholarships to pursue TVET.
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