MICRO-ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

The most important component of this program is to build the client skills. LDI will recruit multi disciplined trainers to teach skills and then link the clients to the appropriate institutions for specific training and specialization. Most of the skills will be learned on the job with the aim to equip the clients with practical experiences that provoke change in perceptions and enable a new quality of listening, thinking and action. This will make them competitive in the open market as well as serving LDI’s needs and activities.

The goal of the program is to mobilize the resources that exist for the development and delivery of appropriate programs and services to support the attainment of economic self sufficiency through self employment and entrepreneurship among women and youth in the target area.

The program focuses on the needs identified by community businesses, entrepreneurs and the unemployed. Programs and activities will be developed to fill these identified needs. LDI will ensure that women and youth in the community are included as both agents and beneficiaries of this development process.

The livelihood and enterprise development programs seek to

• increase the participation of the community in designing, planning and implementing of community enterprise projects

• respond to the development needs of the women and youth by supporting their efforts to participate in enterprise development

• place emphasis on strategies to assist women and youth in the community in generating income, including those activities and programs that alleviate poverty.

The livelihood and enterprise development program will include:

• technical assistance which will be limited to short term needs of the participants in today’s labour market

• primary consideration will be given to business planning skills in micro-home based business operations.

At the conclusion of the training, the clients will be given start up capital (seed grants) from a loan fund to invest in their businesses. They will be monitored and supported regularly. A revolving fund will be developed on a loan basis for any client who demonstrates good entrepreneurship capacity and wants to invest in improving his/her business. In the long run the clients will manage the fund themselves.

The program seeks to enhance the role of individuals and groups, and greater society by improving the local economy and living standards through skills development and income generating activities. The program introduces creative and essential economic generation activities for women and youth to improve the living conditions of their families.

For further information contact: info@LivelihoodDevelopmentAfrica.org