Make Impact Sierra Leone, in partnership with We Yone Child Foundation, has trained and certified 44 young people in vocational and professional skills following a six-month training programme held at the We Yone Child Foundation Skills Training Centre in Kroo Bay Slum Community in Freetown.
The programme brought together young men and women who were trained in catering, cosmetology/hairdressing and professional driving, with the aim of equipping them with practical skills to improve their livelihoods and create opportunities for themselves.
The first batch of trainees received their certificates at a certification ceremony held on Saturday, marking the completion of six months of practical training.
As part of the programme, participants who chose professional driving received training through a professional driving school. Their training fees and driving licences were fully funded by Make Impact Sierra Leone and We Yone Child Foundation.
Speaking at the ceremony, Santigie Bayo Dumbuya, Director of We Yone Child Foundation and a lead figure in the initiative, encouraged the graduates to put their newly acquired skills into practice.
“Do not hold hostage the ideas and skills that you have acquired during these six months. Go out there and implement them. If possible, teach others what you have learned, because that is how knowledge becomes beneficial to you, your community and the country,” Dumbuya told the graduates.
Dumbuya said the programme represents the beginning of a larger initiative aimed at reaching more young people with practical skills and opportunities.
He thanked community leaders and other stakeholders for supporting the programme, while expressing appreciation to Make Impact for partnering with We Yone Child Foundation to provide the training.
“We want to do more. This is just the first batch, and we are looking forward to expanding this initiative and reaching more young people in the coming years,” he said.
Make Impact was established by a team associated with Mercy Ships after members of the team witnessed some of the challenges confronting young people in Sierra Leone.
The organisation subsequently partnered with We Yone Child Foundation to provide skills training to young people at the foundation’s facility in Kroobay.
The initiative comes at a time when communities in Freetown continue to face challenges associated with unemployment, poverty and drug abuse among young people.
At the certification ceremony, a representative of the Chief of Kroobay conveyed the chief’s appreciation for the initiative and welcomed the decision to provide skills training to young people in the community.
The representative said the chief was pleased that the programme had been conducted in Kroobay and expressed hope that similar initiatives would continue in the community.
The ceremony also highlighted the personal journeys of some of the graduates.
Jalikatu Tharm, one of the trainees in catering, was recognised as one of the best-performing students.
Jalikatu had previously struggled with drug use, including kush, before taking the opportunity to enrol in the skills training programme.
During her speech at the ceremony, she became emotional as she reflected on her journey and the doubts some people had about her ability to complete the programme.
She said many people did not believe she would be able to remain focused and complete the training, but she was determined to prove them wrong.
“A lot of people did not believe that I would be able to do this. They did not believe that I would finish the training, but today I am here,” Jalikatu said.
She expressed gratitude to Make Impact and We Yone Child Foundation for giving her the opportunity to learn a skill and thanked Santigie Bayo Dumbuya and her facilitator, whom the students call “Boss Lady,” for supporting her throughout the programme.
Her emotional testimony became one of the memorable moments of the ceremony, reflecting the broader purpose of the initiative to provide young people with opportunities to redirect their lives through skills and education.
Another standout graduate, Isatu Dumbuya, also expressed appreciation for the opportunity.
Isatu said her husband encouraged her to register for the programme, a decision she said had given her an opportunity to acquire a practical skill.
She thanked Make Impact and We Yone Child Foundation for the initiative and said she was now ready to put her training into practice.
The organisers say the programme is designed to go beyond certification by encouraging graduates to use their skills to earn a living, establish businesses and share their knowledge with others.
For the 44 graduates, the certification ceremony marked the end of six months of training but also the beginning of a new phase in which they are expected to apply their skills in their communities.
Make Impact Sierra Leone and We Yone Child Foundation say they plan to build on the first batch and expand the programme to reach more young people in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone