A Self-Help Assistance Program (ASAP), Peachtree City, United Stateshttp://www.asapempowers.org
Target: £13,285.00
Raised so far: £2,034.00
A Self-Help Assistance Program (ASAP), Peachtree City, United Stateshttp://www.asapempowers.org
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This project will provide valuable vocational skills training to 500 selected out-of-school adolescents to greatly improve the chance for employment or self-employment for these young men and women.
Vocational Skills training has been identified as the best way to give unemployed youth hope for the future and help families rise out of poverty. And the few jobs that are available require the employee to have their own tools. But the skills without the tools to put that learning into practice are useless. The cost of buying tools is prohibitive to artisans and the tools usually available in developing countries are cheap Chinese tools.
In partnership with Salesian Missions of Don Bosco Vocational Training centers, ASAP's "Tools For Empowerment" project will provide the complete tool kits needed by entrepreneurs and artisans, who have completed training in a trade starting with Haiti. This will enable them to practice their craft and not only survive but thrive.
Job creation; providing the tools to help new graduates put vocational skills to use to generate income in a country where there is little hope of finding formal employment. This will provide hope for the future where currently they have none. As artisans improve their skills and confidence and acquire more customers, ASAP's Tools for Empowerment will actually be helping create future jobs as they hire people to help with their work.
Tom Arsenault
ASAP has just signed an agreement with Salesian Missions to supply tool kits for their Vocational School graduates around the world. This is an important part of our plan because ASAP wants to avoid duplicating infrastructure in each country. The Salesians have requested that we start with Haiti and so that will be our initial focus instead of Nicaragua. We will do Nicaragua at a later date. In the US, donated tools will be refurbished, if needed, by volunteers, then made into tool kits and sent to Haiti for these needy artisans.
Entrepreneurs and artisans in Haiti will go from poverty to productive community members because of your support for ASAP’s Tools for Empowerment project. Thanks to the agreement with Salisian’s Missions, these Haitian artisans will be trained in their chosen skill and receive their tool kit upon graduation. Unable to buy the tools needed for employment or entrepreneurship, an ASAP tool kit makes a life-changing difference.
Vocational Skills training has been identified as the best way to give unemployed youth hope for the future and help families rise out of poverty. But skills without the tools to put that learning into practice are useless. Poor quality Chinese tools are usually what is available in most developing countries. But even these are out of the reach of most young artisans after learning their trade skills.
In partnership with the Salesian Vocational Training Center near Port-au-Prince Haiti, ASAP’s Tools for Empowerment project will provide the tools needed by graduating entrepreneurs and artisans to practice their new craft. This changes everything for them and their families by empowering them to not only survive but to thrive.
Providing the tools to help new graduates put vocational skills to use to generate income is critical in a country where there is little hope of finding formal employment. If there were any jobs, only with tools would someone be considered. And an entrepreneur will be able to prosper with their own tools of the trade. These tool kits will provide hope for the future where currently they have none. As artisans improve their skills and confidence and acquire more customers, ASAP’s Tools for Empowerment will help create future jobs.
"Acquiring a few simple tools can be a life changing event for someone working to eke out an existence for their family.”
Tom Arsenault
Thanks to your support we are getting closer to our first tool kit shipment. So far we have $3,141 donated and once we have reached $10,000 we will secure a small workspace to collect and sort tool kits. At that time we will then begin to recruit volunteers to help prepare the kits for shipment. Our current plan is to work through training centers in Nicaragua and provide tool kits as requested for their needy graduates.
Many young people have managed to acquire skills from local training centers but have no way of using those skills because they cannot afford to buy tools. We at ASAP believe providing a simple but quality tool kit will change the lives of an entire family.. Usually one person is the provider for a family. That tool kit enables a son or daughter to generate income using those skills. The family will then have money for food, clothing and schooling for the youngsters.
Tom Arsenault
ASAP is developing this project to be similar to ‘Tools For Self Reliance’ in the UK. The difference would be that ASAP’s tools would go to Central America and the Caribbean where their tools go to Africa. They found it impractical to ship to this area from England and thought a new project set up from the US would make more sense.
The one thing that needs to be made clear is that this is not Save the Tools. Yes, tools will be refurbished but they will be the means to the end. In fact, some tools will be brand new. But the reason for the project is to give people a chance to change their lives. A person with skills requires the tools to make use of those skills. These tools will enable an already skilled artisan to use his or her skills to support a family. One goes from unemployed to self-employed.
Tom Arsenault
Thank you for your previous support for ASAP’s Vocational Training Project in Zimbabwe. All funds previously received were used for the Vocational Training in Zimbabwe. However, as previously mentioned, the current situation on the ground is very tenuous right now with presidential elections on the horizon. It is and will become very difficult to operate and as a precaution, ASAP has retired this project and will re-focus on our vocational project in Nicaragua.
ASAP's new project, Tools for Self Help, will provide volunteer refurbished tool kits to young farmers and artisans in Nicaragua and other Central American countries. We are just now developing the project and looking for a small warehouse to get started. A simple tool kit can make a life changing difference for someone who has learned the skills but cannot afford to buy the tools to actually implement them. We expect to be shipping two containers a month after one year. Please consider helping us get this project off the ground with a generous investment in the start-up.
Thanks,
Tom
Tom Arsenault
Thank you for your support for ASAP’s Vocational Training Project. As some of you know, the political situation in Zimbabwe is very tenuous right now with presidential elections on the horizon. Organizations like ASAP, working to help families survive in the rural areas are being harassed. During the 2008 election all organizations were forced to close and meetings of more than 3 people were not allowed. <http://www.sokwanele.com/map/electionviolence>
The situation in 2012 is again unpredictable and as a precaution, ASAP will change its approach on the ground and only focus on school fees to keep girls in school. These project funds will therefore be redirected to support ASAP’s School Fees for Girls Project. Your understanding and support to help children during this time of great need in Zimbabwe is greatly appreciated.
Tom Arsenault
ASAP’s Vocational Training Project is changing lives by reaching out to many people with skills training they can use to make a living. Up to now, 440 young people (291 females, 149 males) have been provided with vocational skills training in both Nyanga and Mutasa districts, many with your help.
The training has been in sewing, carpentry, bicycle repair and hairdressing. These are skills that these young people can convert into income in their local community.
We thank all of you who have already supported this project. However, we still need more support to train the many more youth who have requested assistance. Please donate generously.
Tom Arsenault
When someone is taught a vocational skill, it can never be taken from them. It's a real world skill that they take with them whereever the may go. When the formal unemployment rate is 90%, any kind of skill can be the difference between survival and not. Whether it's sewing, carpentry, hairdressing, raising fowl or raising rabbits, that little bit of extra knowledge sets these girls apart from the rest.
Once we have raised the last $2100, ASAP plans to train a group of about 20 young girls. There is no shortage of requests. It's only the funds that are needed to implement the training program. Your support through Global Giving is now the primary source of support and is greatly appreciated so these enthusiastic girls can gain the skills needed to live productive lives and become self-supporting. Thank you again.
You can read our Fall Newsletter by clicking the link below.
Tom Arsenault
ASAP thanks everyone who contributed so far to this project.The last group of girls to receive vocational training for two weeks were very pleased with the results. As much as possible, training was adjusted to suit what each student wanted. These trainings have been very much in demand by the local communities. ASAP is planning to conduct another training once the remaining $2650 of funding has been received as it is only cost effective in larger groups.
There is more to the training than just sewing clothes.As these girls learn to produce garments they begin to feel more personally valuable with increased self esteem. The cost of clothes is high and getting higher in Zimbabwe so anyone who has the skills to actually produce decent garments becomes a real asset to the community. And it's not just clothes for adults; they also make school uniforms at a discount to the cost of buying in town. We thank everyone again for supporting this worthwhile project and we hope you will continue to support it.
Tom Arsenault
The vocational training aspect of the Out of School Adolescents project partnership between ASAP and Catholic Relief Services had budget cuts. Community Facilitators were hired to give vocational skills training in carpentry, hair dressing and sewing. These facilitators were either school teachers or qualified practicing individuals from the communities where the project clusters are formed. Training was localized in the selected clusters to meet with the budget size. The training had been initially planned to run for 21 days but later during implementation the days were reduced to14 days to suit the budget size even with the Global Giving funding.
This approach is very suitable for our youth and adult Internal Savings and Lending (ISAL) members, as since 2002 they have been asking for skills training to boost their income generating activities (IGAs) by running them more skillfully. We have already started receiving request to expand this training to the community members(ISAL and non ISAL members ), local stakeholders and local schools where the trainings were held or those community members who heard about the trainings. The training was very practical and the trained youths have started to employ the skills they gained in their IGAs. The only limitation in this intervention was enough resources to buy start up kits for those who received the training.
Tom Arsenault
Thanks to your support, in 2010 the ASAP team provided hands-on skills training for 8 children in dressmaking, 18 in hairdressing and 21 in carpentry during November and December. Because of your donation, these 37 children were not turned away; in total ASAP in Zimbabwe provided vocational training for 446 youth through a 3 year project funded by Catholic Relief Services. 162 children attended training in dressmaking, 218 in hairdressing and 66 attended carpentry training.
In 2011, now that the Catholic Relief Services funding is finished, Causemore Samanga reports that the continuing demand for hands-on skill training is very high and girls eager to learn sewing even bring their own materials in order to be able to be considered for the training. Your support and the support of Global Giving is now the primary source of support and is greatly appreciated so these enthusiastic girls will gain the skills needed to live productive lives and become self-supporting. Thank you again.
Causemore Samanga
Thanks to your support, the ASAP team provided hands-on skills training for 8 children in dressmaking, 18 in hairdressing and 21 in carpentry during November and December. Because of your donation, these 37 children were not turned away; in total ASAP in Zimbabwe provided vocational training for 446 youth through a 3 year project funded by Catholic Relief Services. 162 children attended training in dressmaking, 218 in hairdressing and 66 attended carpentry training. Causmore Samanga reports that the demand for hands-on skill training is very high and eager learners brought their own materials in order to be able to be included in the training. Your continued support in appreciated so these enthusiastic children will gain the skills needed to live productive lives and remain motivated with hope for the future.
Elizabeth Bara
Vocational skills training are one of the activities originally included in the Out of School Adolescents project partnership between ASAP and Catholic Relief Services. Due to budget cuts, worthwhile and much need activities like this one had to be eliminated.
It is only because the ground work has been done through ongoing project activities that ASAP can offer this life changing training so cost effectively. Participants are eager and ready to learn. With your help, they will succeed! Please read about the project below.
T. Arsenault
This project moves along in spite of the cut in funding. ASAP is providing training in micro-finance for these youth and plans are still in place to train in various skills that can produce an income. This project goes along with placing girls back in school because everything is really linked. In the end ASAP's goal is to provide the basic life skills for these youth to survive in a very harsh environment. Please consider a donation to help ASAP change lives.
Joseph Miti
The attached report highlights the need for Vocational Skills. This project partnership was funded through UNICEF and partners are working to achieve the National Plan of Action for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, the funding originally earmarked for education and training were used for Cholera prevention in 2008. By donating today, you can help children gain the skills needed for a future full of hope and promise.
Tom Arsenault
We are happy to share our current newsletter with you.
Elizabeth Bara
In Zimbabwe, where the unemployment rate is nearly 90%, vocational skills and survival skills are synonymous. By giving to this project, you will be helping families do so much more that survive - they will thrive!
These young people are already actively involved in ASAP's rural micro finance project, funded through Catholic Relief Services. This gives them access to the capital required to put their newly acquired vocational skills to work, transforming lives. Providing hope for the future. Please donated today
Elizabeth Bara
To date 1,453 out of school adolescents have attended training in internal savings and lending and school fees have been provided for 904 or these young people. We are asking for your donation to provide hands-on vocational skills training to eager and worthy participants.
This project is part of a three year project partnership between ASAP and Catholic Relief Services in Zimbabwe. During these times of tight budgets, the funding for the vocational skills training portion of this project had to be cut – yet it is such an essential and vital aspect of this project that will provide children in desperate circumstances with hope for the future. Please give youth in Zimbabwe skills that will last a life time by supporting this project.