CSD-7:
Sustainable Development Success Stories

Training and Self-employment for Rural Youth

Location  12 Villages in Sabujbagh PS, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Responsible Organisation

National Federation of Youth Organisations in Bangladesh (NFYOB). The project was initiated in May 1997 and ended in April 1998.

Funding: 70% grants from the Youth Welfare Fund, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Government of Bangladesh; 30% NFYOB's funds.

40 young women and 80 young men participated to project.
Description In Bangladesh one third of the total population is in the age group of 15-30 years. About 90% of them are unemployed, illiterate and poor. NFYOB is empowering these youth by providing training and assisting them in starting small-scale income generating business. These new activities will give them immediate return and improve their living standards and those of their families and successors. An initial survey identified and grouped the participants in 12 groups (10 youth in each group) per rural village The first mobile training lasted two weeks and revolved around livestock and poultry farming. It was then replicated with the remaining 11 groups of the same village, then moving on to the other villages.
Issues Addressed Capacity building.
Results Achieved

  • Provided mobile training on livestock and poultry farming for the selected 120 youths from the first rural village.

  • Provided loans to the trainees to assist them in establishing small-scale income generating projects, ensuring follow-up advise and guidance. To encourage and guide the trainees and the other villagers, at the end of each training fertile eggs, upgraded hens and goats were distributed to the outstanding trainees.
Lessons Learned We hope that the future of the project will be bright, and that at the end of the training, the trainees will not only start income generating businesses themselves, but also encourage and train other villagers to develop similar activities.
Contact

Mr. Dulal Biswas, Secretary General
National Federation of Youth Organisations in Bangladesh (NFYOB)
2/7 Sir Syed Road, Mohammadpur,
Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.
Tel. (88-02) 9111660, Fax (88-02) 822010, 880-2-815548.
E-mail: saffron@citechco.net