YES DRC REWORK THE WORLD REPORT MAY 11 - 12, 2009
As part of the RTW initiative, YES DRC Network organised a participatory
planning workshop in Bukavu on May 11 - 12, 2009. The workshop brought
together at least 47 entrepreneurs, youth leaders, investors, scientists,
business leaders, political decision-makers, and others who are committed to
find new solutions and partnerships to tackle the interrelated challenges of
financial and economic crisis, unemployment, development, and environment.
Meeting Objectives:
The purpose of the workshop was to meet with the YES DRC entrepreneurs and an engaged group of diverse stakeholders to identify and select concrete ideas and existing projects to replicate and scale up among the three solutions selected during the YES DRC Core planning meeting held on March 4, 2009.
Major Outcomes:
Five successful pilot initiatives, including new project ideas were identified for selection to be replicated or scaled up in both rural and urban areas in order to provide more opportunities of generating youth employment. A group of 5 experts have been appointed to work together to design projects and raise seed funding locally and internationally with the support of the YES HQ. The identified projects include:
1. Renewable Energy: The most inspiring models include models from Renewable Energy Technology Training Centre, Charcoal Manufacturing from Waste Material, etc.. The objective being to organize youth at community level to assemble, install, service, and market products such as solar cookers, solar refrigerators, solar panels, solar radios, telephone solar chargers and small hydro powers, etc.
2. ICT: focus was on developing programs that support ICT-based entrepreneurship such as web-based services (i.e. website designs, e-marketing, e-business, e-administration, etc.), ICT for agricultural crops
and planting cycles monitoring, ways to incorporate ICT into educational
programs for students, Reality TV, etc.
3. Youth Enterprise Development:
a) The creation of large scale sustainable livelihoods by creating entrepreneurs with focus on environmental, social and economic sustainability.
b) The skill building and income generation - skill building of the artisans and linking them to the export markets, sustainable employment in carpet weaving, c) The creation of micro-credit fund for the young entrepreneurs which will deliver comprehensive micro credit and business development services to individuals, groups, to improve rural livelihoods.
4. Agriculture and Forestry: Agriculture and Forestry: It was agreed that
efforts would be made to replicate some of the existing models in both rural
and urban areas. One model of green livestock, one of oily crops (soya bean,
peanuts and sunflowers) and another one of forestry initiative were selected
for replication. Full details about the concrete projects will be designed by the 5 experts appointed for the issues.
Process of the Workshop: About 47 high-level participants from provincial
government, business, NGOs, youth groups and practitioners were invited of
which 37 (82.2%) attended.
All the participants agreed on one thing: between June and December 2009 the appointed group of 5 experts will do the following:
a) Design the final models for replication referring to existing initiatives and the
infrastructures to be replicated,
b) Identify the partners needed and co-create the replication and
c) Ensure that the project being adapted builds the livelihood opportunities of young people in their communities.
Read the full report (PDF)
If you still have questions about the workshop, please do not hesitate to
contact us. We are willing to reply to them very promptly.
Contacts:
Joel Bayubasire
YES Leader, DRC
SAGE
National Coordinator, DRC
GEW Coordinator, DRC
c/o SOCICO, 9, avenue
Vamaro, Ibanda, Bukavu, South Kivu, DR
Congo
email: joel (at) yesweb.org
projects.tigweb.org/yesdrcn
projects.tigweb.org/sagedrc
www.yesweb.org
www.sageglobal.org
www.unleashingideas.org