More, Different and Better

Our second guest blog today, in a series for International Women’s Day and beyond, including contributions from international and UK writers on the theme of women, learning, literacy and liberation. Feed the Minds is a UK-based charity that supports education in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America.

Life is tough for the young women from Bo, Sierra Leone who are unemployed, lacking skills and self-esteem. Because of the country’s previous conflict, many of these women are single parents without any family support, making it even tougher for them to earn a living. Like many women around the world, all they want is independence and the chance to build a better future for their children.

Feed the Minds has been working with our Sierra Leone partner Craftshare to support unemployed young women in Bo by offering them the chance to learn a trade, build their confidence and change the direction of their lives. Some have never gone to school. Others have been drawn into the sex industry and want to escape it. A few are married but have no skills to work outside the home. Some have disabilities that have excluded them from education and employment.

Tailored training

The young women choose to learn tailoring, hairdressing, catering and hotel management, motor mechanics or carpentry – all skills that are in demand in Bo. They choose between a year of centre-based trade training followed by a six-month placement with a local employer, or a one-year apprenticeship. Both offer good routes to sustainable employment.

Literacy is not a luxury

Literacy skills are essential in everyday life. Craftshare embeds literacy learning into vocational training which in turn broadens trainees’ options. The approach to this is crucial. Skills are developed in reading, writing and numeracy directly related to their trade – they learn to weigh, measure, read manuals, keep records and draw diagrams. In addition literacy classes based on everyday tasks are also delivered – topics can range from writing letters, completing a voting slip or reading medicine bottles.

Being able to read and write gives women confidence, it makes women more able to access their rights and less susceptible to exploitation and abuse.

“I can now write my name and help my children with reading and counting. The skills training has given me joy and happiness, helping me break out of the cycle of poverty and embarrassment” - Mary Charlie, Craftshare Trainee.

A little extra help

Craftshare has recently opened its own creche so that trainees don’t need to worry about childcare. As part of their skills training, women learn about child nutrition and the importance of play in children’s educational development. After training, the women receive ‘start-up’ kits with the tools they will need to set up a business or earn an income. These are the kind of things that really make a difference when women are starting out.

More action needed

Although education is a priority for many developing countries around the world, adult education is often last on the list or delivered in a patronizing or irrelevant way. If women are going to become more independent and transform their own lives greater inclusion of literacy across vocational training, relevant to both the trade and to the individual’s life, is needed. After all, if 85% of Craftshare trainees are gaining employment or staring a successful business within 6 months of finishing their course it can’t be wrong, can it?

Tell us your story

How did you get your first step towards financial independence, and what obstacles did you overcome to enter the world of work? We’d love to hear your stories – you can either leave a comment for us below or find us on Facebook or Twitter.