Zim Now Writer
A global project - Green Jobs for Rural Youth Employment (GJ4RYE) - that is funded by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), through the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to the tune of US$6 million, is set to benefit Zimbabwe and two other countries.
The two other countries on the project are Sierra Leone and Timor Leste.
Running from December 2019 to June 2024, the project is expected to provide disadvantaged youths in rural areas with decent and green job opportunities.
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Rural youth beneficiaries of between 18 and 35 years from Chegutu, Chimanimani, Kariba, Kwekwe, Marondera and Mazowe were selected by FAO, together with a committee comprising government stakeholders and community leaders to participate in the project.
Of the selected youth, 39 percent opted for the Public Employment Programme (PEP) where they will receive a monthly stipend and 61 percent chose to set up a green business start-up where they will get seed money and mentorship support.
Said FAO representative for Zimbabwe, Patrice Talla: “The second type of support we provide is to ensure that the youths’ businesses are financially sustainable, which we call Mentorship B.
“For this business sustainability component, we are working with Fine Touch Development Trust (FTDT), which has previous experiences in supporting rural youth pursue their start-ups,” said Talla.
The FAO country representative said that by empowering marginalised youths, the project should be an avenue for the creation of green jobs while strengthening entrepreneurship skills in sustainable value chains in rural areas.
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