Rising above COVID-19: Resilience, successes amidst pandemic in Niger Delta [ICIR NIGERIA]
Blessing Samuel: Now an Expert Farm Manager!
I didn’t have a job from the onset, and it was difficult to get one (1) because I’m not a graduate, so there’s no certificate attached to me. But after the program, I could manage a farm; I could make a living out of it. So, a lot has changed. It has also changed my perspective; I didn’t have to go out there and start looking for a job. I could, actually, do something with the experience I’ve gotten from the PIND training; I can now rear fishes. I have an experience to start a fish farm, so I don’t have to depend on anybody to look for a job. I can create a job for myself and, also, for other people. So, that’s a huge change and a huge experience.
Uduak’s Bold Move into Male-Dominated Construction Sector! (Akwa Ibom State)
As a woman, it’s not easy to go into the construction sector. So, I had faced several challenges. A lot of people do not believe that a woman can go into woodworking. At some point, when I tell people I’m into woodworking, they’ll be like,” You’re doing a show.” But what convinces them is when they come here, and then they see me working and building things. Or, maybe, if I build and post it online, they’ll be like,” Wow, you’re just different.”
I’m now financially stable. I can say that because before now, money was hard to come by.
NDYEP Construction Sector Case Study Video
To support youths without virtual access, the partners held physical trainings with reduced class sizes. They also alternated the training schedule for participants to maintain physical distance.
NDYEP ICT Sector Case Study
The Niger Delta records some of the worst indices in youth unemployment, raising the need to find a working and sustainable model for getting the teeming youth population employed. In 2018, PIND and the Ford Foundation commenced a two-year NYDEP project pilot. It is based on a simple logic: a cohort of young people can become employed by targeting growth sectors developing and delivering skills development content (which incorporates technical, behavioral, and entrepreneurship skills) tailored to these sectors, and receiving post-training support into employment or entrepreneurship.
Solar Cold Room Installation in Sagbama (Fish Town) in Bayelsa State
Working virtually with private clean energy providers and community associations, PIND facilitated the setup of six (6) energy cabins in six (6) coastal communities. They provided reliable electricity to a group of businesses and households in the communities. The energy cabins helped them reduce business costs, extend their business hours, and power large-load appliances.
Uduak’s Bold Move into Male-Dominated Construction Sector!
’My name is Uduak Etuk; I’m from Ekono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Currently, I’m a woodworker. I graduated with a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business Administration. After my NYSC (National Youth Service Corps), I have worked for several corporate bodies as an administrator, but I never saw the satisfaction in the job, so I had to stop. Then I picked up a form to start my post-graduate diploma, but along the line, there was no money for school fee, so I paused.
Then, I came across PIND online. I got to know about NDYEP on Facebook in a post that people will be screened on several skills, and I picked interest in woodwork. I was selected. And after the screening process, we proceeded to the training, which lasted for about six (6) months. The training has built me—technically, it has built me; and mechanically, it has built me. Currently, I’ve finished the training; I’m now doing my job.
Grants Secured with Proposal Writing Skills
‘’The entire team collectively prepared the proposal documents, following the grant writing standards taught during the mentorship. This helped us meet the donor project’s requirements as SEYP received a grant of EUR 45,000 from the Embassy. After that, we secured another grant of EUR 300,000 from the European Union (EU)/IOM, and the strength of staff has increased to 17 permanent staff,’’ explained the Chief Executive, Jennifer Ero.
A Neutral Name and Peace Returns
“My name is Dr. Jeffery Wilkie, the co-chairman of the Warri Multi-Stakeholder Platform (MSP). So far, through the Warri MSP (which is a brainchild of PIND), we have been able to get experience and build capacity in conflict management—which we applied in circumstances that unfolded between the Ijaw and the Itsekiri in the three (3) Warri local government areas of Delta State (Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South-West) over the naming of the location where a new oil facility sited on a boundary land owned by the two (2) ethnic groups.
The ‘Sitting Down at Home Idle’ Phase is Over!
Our Niger Delta Youth Employment Pathways (NYDEP) project targets to empower young people in the region to attain market-relevant technical skills, vocational skills, and soft skills to secure waged employment or start an enterprise (SDG 4 & 8).
