Meru NGO Partners with Japan Fund to Empower Youth through Job Creation and Skills Training
MERU — Community Road Empowerment (CORE-Kenya), in collaboration with the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) and funded by the World Bank, is launching initiatives aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of Meru’s youth through job creation and skills development.
According to Kenya News Agency, the initiative focuses on young people from underserved areas such as Gitimbine, Mjini, and Majengo, improving 26 kilometers of access roads that link to the existing 23-kilometer Eastern and Western bypasses. The project’s primary goal is to build capacity and sustain labour-based road maintenance technology, alongside other components such as livelihood enhancement and effective project management.
Iwamura highlighted the adoption of ‘Do Nou’ technology, which utilizes gunny bags filled with materials to repair sections of the road that are in critical need of maintenance or are impassable. This method not only aims to improve road accessibility for residents traveling to schools, hospitals, and markets but also fosters self-reliance within the community. “Our objective is to empower the community to undertake their road improvements independently,” Iwamura stated.
The project also focuses on comprehensive training and support for the youth. Approximately 1,250 individuals are expected to benefit, with training currently underway for 375 participants in Gitimbine. These participants are learning essential road maintenance skills such as drainage digging and proper road cambering during a 40-day on-the-job training program.
Post-training, CORE-Kenya assists these youths in forming small micro-enterprises (SMEs) and companies, facilitating their registration through Huduma centers. Once certified and registered with the National Construction Authority (NCA), they can bid for road construction projects, applying the skills acquired to improve infrastructure in their communities. “We continue to support our trainees beyond the initial training phase, helping elevate their social and economic status through enterprise,” added Iwamura.