An NGO in Malindi has come up with plans to end drug menace among youths in Malindi.
This is in line with both former President Uhuru Kenyatta and President William Ruto s program on youth empowerment schemes.
President Uhuru Kenyatta unveiled the plan to support the Development of technical institutions to equip youth with skills that will enable them to use their hands and their God-given talents to secure gainful employment he really gave a lot of hope to Millions of Kenyan youth.
The same way President William Ruto came up with the bottom-up economy to empower those hustlers it is now clear that Technical training and Vocational Training are the way to go.
One does not have to have a degree to succeed in life.
In Malindi and the larger Kilifi county, many youths who drop out of school ended up on drugs or other immoral behaviors which really painted a bad.
The NGO is slowly tapping on the TVET to help change the narrative and offer training to the youth to move away from the drug dens popularly known as maskani in Swahili.
The NGO called Helping Hand for Relief and Development Started offering training to youth last year and the first batch of graduates also got startups kits to go and start businesses.
The managing Director of Helping hand for relief and Development Musa Ibrahim said they train them in different technical subjects including Basic computer, International Computer Driving Licence, henna painting for women, and mobile phone repair.
“As you know nowadays everybody has a mobile phone and they are damaged a lot so they require technicians, he said.
Ibrahim said they started the center in November last year and at Barani within Malindi town and already 142 students graduating with different courses.
To him, he was happy to oversee the first graduation of the students who had skills that will give them jobs without even having to tarmac seeking work.
“This is the fourth center for Helping hand we have a center in Mogadishu Somalia, Nairobi, Tanariver, and the other one is this in Malindi,” he said.
Normally he said they pick students with different interests who completed class 8 or form four dropouts and those with diplomas or certificates.
As an organization, they focus mainly on the passion of the students and train them in that field such as the girls who like Henna painting they are equipped with those skills to be more competent.
To enable them to start businesses the graduates he said are given start-up kits.
Those who studied computer course we give them computers so as to start cyber cafes, we encourage them to team up into three or four to start a cyber cafe, as you know many county and national government services are done electronically like E-licences, good conduct, applying for passport and it’s our gratitude to enable Malindi people especially Shella and Barani to get the knowledge, he said.
The MD said they have a capacity of 200 students per year and prefer to train students in three courses so as to have different certificates and skills.
He said the center is recognized by the Government as TVET and the certificates are recognized inline with the agenda of the government to empower youth.
Ibrahim said the aim of the center is to move people from the drug menace, bases so as to get technical skills to start their lives adding that the project would continue for the next 10 years.
During the graduation ceremony, students accompanied by their parents together with county government officials could not hide their joy upon achieving the knowledge and even the kits for start-ups.
Zamzam Ali an administrator from the Kilifi County Government who was among the guests present said she was happy to see the youth graduating with different entrepreneurial and technical skills.
She said as an administrator said the county government is committed to offering scholarships to youth who are interested to join vocational training.
Those who have graduated today whoever is interested to go back to school, especially those who dropped out of secondary or did not do well in high school and want to repeat there is a scholarship, she said.
Ali said the county government has many TVETs including one in Muyeye within Malindi and those wishing to continue learning will be given scholarships to further their studies.
She said the aim of giving free scholarships is to enable youth to study different technical skills.
Do not lose hope because you do not have money to go to school, no one will be locked out of the institutions for lack of fees what is needed there is the passion for one to study, she said.
She said it’s time the bad name for Malindi changes for the better to ensure youths acquire skills instead of engaging in drug abuse and other immoral behaviors.
The Administrator said youth need to change their attitudes and take advantage of the scholarship given for free so as to transform their lives.
testimonies from the beneficiaries of the Helping hand for Relief were touching as many are happy with their achievements which they thought would never happen due to the financial challenges back home.
Harrison Kalu one of the graduates said had it not been for the opportunity he would be on drugs due to his idleness.
Kalu said he heard about the organization from friends and thought it was an organization helping Muslims unknown to him that they help all regardless of their religious background.
I am a Christian but with helping hand they help all not just Muslims I thank them because they have enabled me to get a certificate for the first time in my life to graduate and wear these graduation clothes, he said.
He completed high school but was idle at home not knowing what the future would offer to him.
Kalu said the organization took him from the streets to the classroom and now he had acquired skills in repairing mobile phones.
Already he said the NGO had given him equipment and plans to open a workshop for repairing phones to work as mobile phone repair.
He urged fellow youth to join the organization so as to learn different skills and transform their lives.
Sadia Bimkuu a mother of four is another beneficiary who graduated with her husband on the same day.
Binmkuu a form three dropout could not hide her joy for the achievement and revealed that she learned a sewing course and she now is ready to go and decorate people in weddings and other ceremonies.
Further, she said her plan is to go back to school to complete secondary education so as to further her studies.
“even though am a mother and married I decided to join helping hand to get a certificate and once I complete secondary school they will help me, she said.
She said she graduated three times including sewing, trauma counseling, counseling business mentorship, and plans to open her own place.
Her husband Mundhir Omar from Shella a renowned drug abuse area said the organization has come to rescue the youth who have been facing challenges in society.
He said the fees are cheap and they were given start-up kits as gifts to help them, start businesses at home.
“I am happy because I got equipment to start my own business, first instead of taking my mobile phone to a technician I can do first aid personally, he said.
