Not being employed does not mean the end of the world. A little skills development can make an entrepreneour out of an otherwise ordinary youth.
Take Rana's example. The 21-year-old used to spend most of the time hanging out with friends before his enrollment in a vocational skill building project. The four-week training he underwent was a life changing experience.
And Rana made good use of the interest free small loan he took from fellow youth club member on completion of the trainnng. Now he is successfully running a mobile phone repairing shop in his community.
“My grandparents are very proud of what I have achieved. I am able to rent this shop and make a living for myself and my family. I’m very proud of myself too,” said Rana.
The project which aims at empowering marginalised Bangladeshi youth was hosted by
Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), an international organization.
VSO is working on this project with local partners to support 180 marginalised and unemployed youth in becoming entrepreneurs or self-employed themsleves, or at least make sure they find employment.
The youths are provided with vocational trainings, tools and business linkage in electrical house wiring, mobile phone repairing and solar technology.
Al Amin is another participant who joined this project after severe underemployment in Dhaka. During most his stay in Dhaka, he had had only 12-15 hours of employment per week with a bare minimum pay.
“I am very happy now because I can be with my friends and family and I don’t have to be in Dhaka for work. I can also provide for my family’s needs and be financially independent. This enables me to make my own decisions in life,” sai d Al Amin.
Al Amin spends a lot of time in electrical work. He has already employed one of his fellow community members as an assistant.
So far, 57% of the porject's participants have started their own business, or have found employment within the first couple of months after completing their training.