The Liberia National Tailor Union, in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with funding from the United Nation Development (UNDP) Livelihood Youth Training Project, has embarked on an intensive capacity building for over fifty youths in two counties.
The initiative is a six-week capacity building training in tailoring for youth desiring to become tailors and seamstresses, and is organized under the theme, “Empowering Youth, through sustainable Livelihood Activity”.
The training, which is currently taking place in Montserrado County and Lofa County and is mainly dominated by women, is also a flagship program of the Ministry of Commence Livelihood and Empowerment Creation Project, sponsored by the UNDP.
Also, the project is a US$30,000 program, and the objective of the training is to develop the capacity of youthful Liberians to become self-reliant and productive citizens. The initiative also aims at providing the avenue for Liberians to provide employment and job creation outside of government.
The project is currently taking place at the Lofa Multilateral Compound in Voinjama and the Tailor Union Office in Montserrado County, Camp Johonson Road.
At the successful completion of the program, participants will be given a brand new sewing machine as startup.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Hot Pepper in Monrovia at the training site over the weekend, the acting President of the Liberia National Tailor Union, Ezekiel Kamara extolled the Ministry of Commerce and UNDP for the partnership and sponsorship.
According to him, Liberia currently needs skillful citizens to address the many challenges confronting the country, and the youths are the bedrock to addressing these problems with livelihood capacity training.
explaining the recruitment and securing of the project, Kamara disclosed that, after a series of engagement with the Ministry of Commerce on building the capacity of youths, he was successful in securing the UNDP US$30.000 project.
According to the union’s President, the money is separated in two: US$15,000 for the materials and machines, and the other US$15,000 for the project. He pointed out that 30 participants were recruited from Montserrado County, while the remaining came from Voinjame, Lofa County.
“The project is a six-week program that is intended to strengthen and develop the skills of youthful Liberians in tailoring, and intended for only Montserrado County and Lofa County. Currently, Lofa is in its third week, while Montserrado is in its second. Lofa started September 4, while Montserrado commenced on September 12. Participants were recruited from the communities in the implemented counties,” Kamara stated.
He disclosed that more efforts and programs are underway to build and strengthen the capacity of Liberian youths, as well as its members to become more productive.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Musu Konneh extolled the Tailor Union and its partners for the initiative.
“We are grateful for this program and want it extended to others counties. We are learning many things here. As we speak, I am able to sew. The only problem we have is the cutting, and we will learn it before this project ends. But, we are appealing that the project be extended to other counties with longer time to help us, we the single mothers,” she appealed.