Introduction
The Decent Work and Labor Rights Program in East Africa-Phase II, also known as the Jipe Job Poa, is a youth Economic and Empowerment project implemented in partnership with Youth Alive! Kenya and the Forum for International Co-operation (FIC). The project also benefited from engaging strategic stakeholders in the labor market with a common interest of improving youth access to the labor market.
Project Objective
The program aimed to increase the knowledge and skills of young people for entrepreneurship and formal job opportunities in Kenya (Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu) and Tanzania (Dar es Salaam).
Project Outcomes
1. Advocacy Work
We supported the county government of Kisumu in the development of the Kisumu County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) 2019-2022. This was meant to buttress the interventions on identified youth issues and mobilization of resources.
2. Organization strengthening
Through the organizational development and systems strengthening of partner youth organizations to ensure sustainability, the project supported YAK to:
1. Undertake a review of the strategic plan 2021-2025 with a focus on the changing youth environment under which the organization works and provide interventions that promote its growth.
2. Create a resource mobilization strategy to establish new partnerships for funding and assistance in achieving program sustainability.
3. Strengthen member organizations’ work on task management, problem-solving and conflict management, communication management, advocacy and lobbying, human resource management as well as designing and writing proposals.
4. Retain and recruit new organizations in the organization’s working groups structure with West Pokot County being the latest entrant.
3.Visibility and communication
•Through the rebranding of YAK’s website, social media platforms, and development of YAK Academy for both e-learning and alumni, the organization enhanced its presence and visibility on resources and knowledge for sharing and learning with other organizations.
• YAK has also been able to integrate digital learning platforms for online participant engagement.
4.Capacity building
•We conducted capacity training for 35 vocational training center managers in Kisumu County on resource mobilization, leadership, education policy, and reforms in the County Vocational Education and Training Bill 2020. •The training improved YAK’s relationship with the VTCs, the county government of Kisumu-directorate of TVETs. It also helped to prioritize the county’s investment in skills training, equipping the county VTCs and mobilizing resources to enrollment of students. The capacity training also enhanced the VTCs’ managers’ knowledge of budget processes and the development of work plans.
•We supported the development of the County Job Placement Strategy for VTCs in Kisumu to help in the transition of VTCs beneficiaries to the job market.
•The project also improved the capacity of YAK finance staff through the acquisition of QuickBooks, a financial transaction software that allows you to conduct financial transactions with multiple donors/partners from a single user system.
5.Partnerships
Through the development of an MOU, YAK is in the process of formalizing its cooperation with the County Government of Kisumu in supporting youth and women in the areas of youth and livelihood development, business services
