Case Study: Vocational Training in Haiti
10 January 2012
"In life you have to learn a trade...I want to learn a skill"
Michael Demostene is 23 years old and lives in Meilleur, Coix de Bouquet Port-au- Prince. He sits in front of a new sewing machine with a needle in his hand; it has been a week since he started the Tailoring Vocational Training course run by Islamic Relief. Until recently he had been trying to make ends meet by working as a casual labourer, but work was hard to find, pay was poor, and there was limited job security.
Michael earns around 200 goudes a day (USD $5). “In life you have to learn a trade...I want to learn a skill so that I can work for myself so that I am not reliant on others,” says Michael.
He’s situation changed when he enrolled on Islamic Relief’s free training course. Along with 91 other people, he received tailoring and business plan training to help him become self-employed.
After the earthquake, life for the people in Haiti has become very challenging. The weak economy means that there are very limited job opportunities. The government does not have the capacity to offer new employment opportunities and people do not have the money to get training from private institutions. This locks people into a vicious cycle; they don’t have money to access training and without training their chances of employment are severely limited.
In an attempt to improve the situation for Haitians, Islamic Relief initiated its vocational training course. Primarily aimed at those living in camps or with host families, the course aims to provide a route into employment and self-sufficiency for some of the poorest people.
Michael and his brother, Maxon, were forced to move into an IDP camp tent as their home was destroyed in the earthquake. As living in a tent was very difficult, they moved into their cousin’s house when it was rebuilt. Micheal wants to learn a trade so that he can be financially independent. He hopes his tailoring and business plan training will enable him to start up his own business.
10 January 2012 12 January 2011 12 January 2011 12 January 2011 12 January 2011 11 January 2011 03 December 2010 11 July 2010 04 May 2010 16 March 2010 05 February 2010 04 February 2010 25 January 2010 25 January 2010 20 January 2010 20 January 2010 19 January 2010 12 January 2010 12 January 2010
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