by Roberta Persia

14 August 2009

Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso: Nearly 500 marginalized young people in Burkina Faso have received vocational training and grants to start their own microenterprises, thanks to the UNV-supported REPAJE programme.

Since 2003 REPAJE (support project to reduce marginalized youth poverty, RÉduction de la PAuvrete des JEunes défavorisés), has contributed to the social integration of some of the most vulnerable youths in and around Burkina Faso’s second largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso. In total 13 UNV volunteers have worked with the programme from the start, serving both in the coordination unit and in the field.

Some of the youth beneficiaries were homeless or socially excluded; others were affected by psychological trauma, extreme poverty and illiteracy. Several are teenage mothers. The programme provided literacy courses, vocational training and psychosocial support activities, and micro-grants have addressed marginalized families and disadvantaged young people.

A UNV volunteer Psychologist and three UNV volunteer Social Assistants were in charge of ‘free-expression moments’ which allowed vulnerable youths and their families to evaluate their problems and look for solutions. Three UNV volunteer facilitators and an expert in education supported six literacy centres, providing reading courses to help get 444 young people into vocational training.

National UNV volunteer Ousmane Koulibaly has been responsible for empowering young people to start their own microenterprises. Among other things, his role was, to assess candidate youth’s projects to ensure quality documentation, and train them in basic management and accounting skills.

He then supported them in starting their businesses, through small grants from the project but also collecting information about the equipment and the required legal permissions to start their enterprises. Afterwards, Mr. Koulibaly monitored their businesses to provide additional support when needed.

He speaks about the numerous success stories among the total of 476 microenterprises established thanks to REPAJE. Examples of the beneficiaries are Djéneba Kone, a 16-year-old mother who received a grant and now runs the first restaurant in her city; and Fulgence Bado, a former street-child who now runs a coffee-shop.

“The major satisfaction I get as a volunteer is to see how these young people grow,” says Ousmane Koulibaly. “They are usually restricted to carrying out simple, repetitive tasks. But it’s just because of a lack of confidence and means. Once they move away from extreme poverty they can start developing their own business solutions. This gives them confidence, independence and self-esteem.”

For many youths, the support from REPAJE means that they do no longer need to live from hand to mouth. Some reinvest part of their revenue to expand their enterprises, like Tibo Warne, who started a pig livestock business and now supplies meat to two restaurants. He has five employees and is now looking for a larger place to keep on enlarging his farm.

“Banks and Credit Unions do not trust young people like me,” Mr. Warne remarks. “They consider it too risky to lend money to young people. People told me that I could not manage an enterprise by myself, but look at me now! I think I can say that I manage quite well.”

REPAJE was financed by the Government of Luxembourg, and implemented by UNV with the support of UNDP and in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs and National Solidarity. At the close of the project earlier in 2009, activities to reduce poverty among marginalized youths in the Upper Volta Basin region were taken over by the directorate of Social Action, a regional Government entity. The regional representative of the Ministry of Social Affairs and National Solidarity and local NGO partners are also involved.

The sustainability of the intervention is further emphasized by the youths who have benefitted from REPAJE. They are now themselves volunteers, who are supporting other young people experiencing similar difficulties.