By DANIELA ITOE NGUM
Some 100 youths in Kumba have called on the government to assist Non-Governmental Organizations fund youth entrepreneurial projects as well as to encourage the organization of youth empowerment projects in the North West and South West Regions of the country.
The youths averred that given the prevailing socio-political crisis situation in these parts of the country that has grounded the smooth functioning of schools and affected most businesses, there is dire need for empowerment projects to equip the youths with the necessary skills to start up a business.
They added that it is only through such trainings that they can be able to survive the huddles of the ongoing crisis in the North West and South West Regions of the country.
The youths were speaking on June 15 at the Women Empowerment and the Family Center, Kumba, at the end of a five-day empowerment programme organized by ‘New Generation for Christ’ in collaboration with ‘Net Impact Kumba’.
The five-day empowerment programme equipped the youths with skills on how to transform waste papers and coconut shells to beads, beads making, entrepreneurial skills, how to make soaps and detergent, yogurt processing, cake making, icing, hamburger, and pastries etc.
The President of Net Impact Kumba, Phillip Tabong Nchua stated that the aim of the training is to empower the youths with income generating skills that will assist them during this period when they are not going to school.
“We discovered that since school is not going on, the majority of youths are roaming about the streets doing nothing; so we decided to empower them with skills that will generate them income and make them active”, the President stated.
Tabong appealed to the government to create more youths training programmes as well as assist those with such initiatives to transmit it to the youths especially during this crisis period.
He was corroborated by the Founder of New Generation for Christ, NG4C, BuddyNkemnkeng NkengTabong, who noted that their main obstacle is shortage of funds, reasons why they are unable to carry out developmental projects.
“We had a meeting with the SDO and we told him that they should see into the cry of the NGOs because they are always willing to work though faced with shortage of funds. We really have good projects; water projects, culverts, bridges and road projects but all we need is just finance”, he furthered.
Janelle Nyando, a participant outlined some of the things she learnt including; coping with her menstrual flow, how to create beads out of papers and coconut shells, how to make pastries, hamburgers and icing. This she noted will help her generate income.