By Tokpa Tarnue, tarnue82@gmail.com
In continuation of its empowerment initiative, the Liberia National Red Cross with support from the Danish Red Cross has graduated the third batch of beneficiaries from a Roskilde Vocational Skills Training and Integration Project.
Thirty three youths graduated at a ceremony held in Foya, Lofa County in northwestern Liberia. The trainees acquired skills in seven different disciplines and they came from diverse backgrounds.
Giving the overview of the project, LNRCS Lofa Field officer Joseph Varney disclosed that the Liberian Red Cross Society in 2017 began to recruit vulnerable young people and train them in various disciplines.
Phase one of the training focused on the rural areas (dwellers) implemented across all 15 program communities of Vahun and Foya districts respectively.
Mr. Varney said the second part of the training focused on the district seats referred to as urban areas to include Vahun, Foya, Kolahun and Voinjama
According to him, the project targets women, boys and girls affected by the civil conflict and the Ebola crisis including ex-combatants, single mothers/self-supported, commercial sex workers, rape/domestic violence victims, drug users, etc. They are between the ages of 13-45 years.
The skills training project seeks to restore the dignity, values and morals of the vulnerable and marginalized women, boy and girls who Mr. Varney said live in the streets, neighborhoods or communities.
They neither have formal education nor skills and the project is intended to also strengthen social cohesion and in communities.
Some of the Red Cross starter kits for beneficiaries
Mr. Varney named key components of the project as Psychosocial case management and documentation activities- for healing war related trauma; reducing traumatic stress disorder; mediating family conflict situation; supporting coping mechanisms; building self-esteem and self-confidence and promoting interaction and peaceful coexistence.
In a related development, a total of 36 beneficiaries also graduated from similar training program in Lofa County’s provincial capital, Voinjama city on December 6, 2018.
This brings the number to a total 96 young males and females, who were trained by the Liberia National Red Cross in Voinjama, Kolahun, Foya and Vahun districts respectively over the period of nine months under its Roskilde Vocational Skills Training and Integration Project supported by the Danish Red Cross.
Graduates were all provided with starter kits as a means of empowerment after the training program.