An Inspiring Youth Program

One of the things I am working on in Lusaka is investigating the possibility of helping one of the local compounds (poor neighborhoods with high population density and few services) start a community computer center. Towards this goal, I have had several meetings with the city councilor responsible for the area that includes the compound, held some community meetings, and formed an interim steering committee. In addition, I wrote a survey which community members circulated and then returned to me. 105 surveys were tallied. The results were quite informative, with the most important points being the following: 1. Few people in the compound have computer skills, but many are interested in acquiring these skills. 2. The community members should pay reasonable fees for computer courses, internet use and other business services. 3. Everyone in the community is deserving of computer access, but the greatest need in the community is for training the youth. 4. The center should be run by the community. 5. There is a great fear in the community that funds and resources will be mismanaged or misused. These last two points pose a great challenge to our interim committee. It’s clear that great efforts will need to be made to promote transparency and avoid mismanagement and corruption through an appropriate management structure, clear bylaws, and education.

In an effort to learn more about the management of a community project (and also to see what is being done in other compounds), several members of our interim steering committee traveled to another Lusaka area compound to visit and learn from a youth skills project. We met with the managers and toured the project, and were quite inspired. The details of our visit are below. The photo here is of a tailoring class at the project. Notice that they are first learning how to operate manual sewing machines. After they have mastered the basics on those, then they will move on to electric machines.

In Zambia, the definition of youth is much broader than what we use in the U.S. The age range is roughly 16 – 35, but I can’t remember exactly, and encompasses a large percentage of the Zambian population. Generally services for this target group focus on individuals who have left school but don’t have sufficient skills or opportunities to support themselves or their families. From 1990 – 1994 a group of youth in the compound we visited were trained in trade skills (such as carpentry and tailoring) by an NGO. One of the local leaders of that NGO targeted some of the youth in the training group that showed leadership potential, and encouraged them to form their own youth skills training program. Having been inspired, a dozen or so youth followed his advice and began a program to train youth in their community in tailoring, carpentry, welding, and auto mechanics.

For the next seven years, the day to day operation of the program was run by the youth, but funds were managed by the compound’s Resident Development Committee (RDC), a committee under the Lusaka city council. This arrangement was set up because there had been a concern that the youth would not know how to manage their funds properly. However, this relationship ended badly when some of the RDC members stole a large amount of donated funds intended for the project! Having learned their lesson the hard way, the youth registered as their own NGO and have been operating corruption-free ever since! The number of youth organizing the project dropped, however, once it became clear that no one would be able to “get rich quick”.

Two young men now run the program and are supported by a full time staff of about 11 people, and other part time workers as well. The staff for the program includes skills instructors, secretarial staff and a night watch man. They also have several production workers who create furniture to sell to raise money for the program. None of the workers receive large salaries, but all are paid a small monthly allowance, with the largest being about $125 per month. These folks clearly aren’t in this for the money, but instead are trying to make a difference in their community.

Students pay fees to participate in the courses, but high course fees aren’t sustainable in this community and some students fail to pay the entire fee for a course. As a result, outside contributions are continuously sought for the ongoing success (and expansion) of the program. In 2004 an NGO working in IT began funding the project in order to establish a computer training program. They now have a small computer lab offering short courses in basic computer skills, and another small room operating as an internet café. The instructors of their other skills programs also use the internet as source of technical information and have been trained in computer technical drawing skills. The computer program is currently self supporting due to a combination of fees from courses, internet, and various business/secretarial services that they offer.

The Zambian authority responsible for vocational training has also provided key support to this youth program. In addition to certifying various training courses offered there, they have periodically assessed the status of the program and as a result provided additional training for the staff as needed. This training has covered important topics such as teaching methods, accounting, management, long-range planning and grant writing.

It was wonderful to see what this inspired group of young people was able to do to help their community. Our visit and discussion showed us that success was not easy, but quite possible.