Request for information on support for income generating projects (2)
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Source: HEALTH-L - THE ZAMBIAN ELECTRONIC MAILING LIST ON HEALTH ISSUES
Recently a Reproductive Health Workshop has been organised by the
district and the neighbourhood committee for the Ngwerere Community of
Chongwe district. Poverty has been identified as one of the major
underlying causes of reproductive ill health in this community.The neighbourhood health committee of Ngwerere community is therefore
looking for information on NGO's involved in income generating projects,
especially targeting adolescents.Mrs N. Simpson
Chairperson Chongwe District Health Board
c/o MoH
Lusaka, Zambia
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To Ms. Simpson, Chairperson Chongwe District Health Board
We have six examples that the UNICEF Youth Projects in Malawi have
supported:
1) Rabbit IGA: Seed funds & training provided to a rural youth club to
raise rabbits for sale in the community.
Problems: Keeping the rabbits healthy, ensuring feed & care, and
ensuring demand for the product.
2) Credit Revolving Fund: Small loans for Youth clubs, US$ 10 or
20 given to 10 members. Members paired with the next recipient of
the loan (who also has a pair), for peer pressure on repayment.
Loans used for petty trading (used cloths, sale of fish, veg.,
etc.
Problems: capital small, profit margin small, repayment timely,
one major error (fish go bad) and capacity to recover loan/
continue trading problematic.
Success: peer pressure for recovery often create a partnership
relationship, about 75% recovery.
3) Tinsmith: capital & training investment required, markets need
to be there, or access to urban centre/major road, etc. On
skills transfer, members of the youth club required to move on as
individual artisans, or apprentices to existing tin-smith.
Problems: start up & training cost are high, long time line for
"marketable" products, without market access, local market demand
easily filled and business drops off.
4) Paper making: Youth NGO, members trained and equipment
purchased and source of paper identified (urban)
Problems: training & capital equipment costs high. Access to raw
materials problematic and inconsistent, quality of product
reflects the price, demand weak for "cheap" paper.
5) Puppets & Children Toys: youth NGO (urban). Identified demand
for products by the national Pre-School Play Group centres.
Members trained and initial materials & tools purchased.
Problems: quality control, market initially big, but not
expanding, community market limited (kids want plastic/western
toys)
Success: supplier relationship with national organisation,
aggressive marketing in townships.
6) Video Cinema: youth NGO (urban) shows videos at their centre
(small township building - rental) on a regular schedule to make
money.
Problems: supply of movies, movies in English & often
inappropriate messages, competition for centre space with other
programmes.
Success: never ending demand for service... purchase of own video
camera, training on video production (capital costs high, but
long-term costs low - i.e., cost per person reached by the video)
and plans to make videos of local drama groups, in local
language, as very low budget short movies with messages (and
action, romance, etc.)
Lessons?
Training on project management, basic book keeping, local market, and on
the specific economic activity the youth want to do.
Loans rather than grants, with interest which have to be paid back (be
serious).
Regular monitoring of progress, and willingness to accept the young peoples
mistakes and give them a 2nd (3rd) chance...
Best of luck
e-mail: rolson@unicef.org
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