innocent Kamphanda, clad in a blue work suit and a yellow helmet, focuses intently on his tutor as she guides his class on how to wire a solar power main switch.
The training room is spacious, with neat walls and floors dotted with piles of electrical cables, solar panels and power banks.
The 22-year-old trainee listens attentively, his face morphing into a portrait of gratitude and eagerness to learn.
“I want to become a solar energy electrician,” he says. “This is a dream come true. That’s why I applied for this course.”
The setting is Hope Vocational Training Centre in Dowa District.
Kamphanda does not regret his choice.
He carefully assessed the opportunities that the new skills and knowledge may bring.
“In my community, irrigation farming is booming and solar power is central. After graduation, I plan to start a business of installing and repairing solar energy systems because the market is readily available,” he said.
The training centre near Dzaleka Refugee Camp is implementing the Skill Up Malawi project.
It gives refugees and surrounding communities several technical , vocational education and training (Tvet) programmes.
The project funded by the Bauer Charity envisions the trainees using their acquired skills to secure employment or create jobs for others.
The $ 305000 (approximately K338.5 million) initiative aims to train 285 people, aged 18 to 35, in plumbing, carpentry, bricklaying, tailoring, welding and solar energy.
The brains behind the project expect the training to benefit 347 refugee households and 779 Malawians.
This project offers a path to economic empowerment in a country where youth unemployment continues to rise under economic pressure.
Ac cor d ing to the World Bank, Malawi’s unemployment rate has averaged 5.02 percent since 1991. The International Labour Organisation reports that a quarter of the employable youth group are looking for employment, but cannot find any partly due to lack of relevant skills.
Skill Up Malawi is positioning the rural youth to gain skills for the uncertain employment landscape with marketable skills.
Tailoring graduate Hendrina Makoza, 27, has established her own business and now employs her peers.
The girl, from Traditional Authority Dzoole in the district, runs tailoring training sessions in her community.
She says: “I’ve been saving and investing in a sewing machine. I’ve also trained students. I’ve purchased another machine using their fees.
“My dream is to become the best tailor in my community, grow my capital and employ more people to expand the business.”
Despite quitting school in Form Two, she has found her feet to become self-reliant, thanks to the tailoring and business skills from Skill Up Malawi.
“We have qualified instructors who teach digital literacy and entrepreneurship education,” says There is Hope programmes manager Doreen Fachi.
Upon completion, the trainees receive start-up kits to help them become self-employed.
Fachi is proud of the progress registered.
“ Some graduates have secured jobs and others have started their businesses. It’s still too early to assess the overall success, but we are seeing positive developments,” she says.
Some 285 young people from Dzaleka Refugee Camp and surrounding c ommunities have benefitted from four cohorts.
Benjamin Kifuvwe, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, graduated in solar photovoltaic and entrepreneurship.
He now works as an electrician near Dzaleka Refugee Camp, which is home to 52,000 refugees and asylum seekers.
“I was a self-taught electrician, making little money through odd jobs. Now, as a trained electrician, I get contracts from well-known organisations in the camp to fix their power issues. This allows me to support my family of four, which includes my siblings,” Kifuvwe says.
Amid economic hardships, particularly in the overcrowded Dzaleka Refugee Camp , the skills provided by Skill Up Malawi offer young people a way to overcome unemployment and improve their livelihoods.n
