#National News

YEP donates equipment to FSDC outstanding students

Dec 21, 2020, 1:27 PM | Article By: Jarra Cham

The Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) on Thursday donated working equipment to Fajara Skills Development Centre (FSDC) outstanding graduates of the year 2018 and 2019 to commence businesses.

The items include steamers, blow dryers, shampoos for outgoing hair dressing students; new sewing machines, cutting tables and cupboards for tailoring outgoing students and gas cookers, fryers and freezing pans for cookery graduates.  Thegesture is aimed at helpingthe outstandinggraduates toestablish or expand their businesses.

Jean Able- Thomas, CEO Fajara Skills Development Centrecommended YEP for the gesture saying it would help create employment opportunitiesfor young people and curb irregular migration to Europe.

 She said outstanding students benefited from the gesture because they were patient and committed to their education.

“You are the people we thought deserve to get the materials but we hope you live to expectation. Five years down the line I would like to hear you engage in entrepreneurship,” she challenged.

However, she advised beneficiaries to make best use of the equipment so that incoming students would benefit from the same opportunity. “If YEP sees progress on your work, they would do it again for the coming ones.”

Madam Able-Thomas described the gesture as significant, saying it would help in employing young people and prevent them from risking their lives to embark on irregular migration to Europe. 

She said many youth are embarking on this journey to Europe due to lack of employment in the country.

KebbaBadjie, an outgoing tailoring student said the equipment would help him establish a tailoring workshop in the near future.

“This is the first sewing materials I have ever gain; therefore, I will never forget YEP,” he added.

Fatoumatta Marena, an outgoing cookery studentsaid: “The skills I obtained from theschool has helped me a lot because when I was coming here I was not able to cook some foods but now I can cook well.”

Ms Marena also a restaurant owner said the donated materials would help her to expand her business and employ more young people.