On Wednesday (March 18, 2021), Help, in cooperation with the Department of Labor and Social Affairs of Herat Province, held a graduation ceremony for 568 trainees of Ansari Vocational Training Center.

Government officials, including officials from the Department of Labor and Social Affairs of Herat Province, senior staff of UNICEF and WFP offices in the western zone, heads and staff of Help and its partners, including the Organization for Sustainable Aid in Afghanistan/OSSA, representatives from national and international organizations, representatives of some companies, organizations and associations and a large number of beneficiaries of the vocational training program as well as the media, attended the ceremony.

 

 

 

 

After reciting verses from the Holy Quran and playing the national anthem, a clip was broadcast about the activities carried out in the livelihood project, which reflected part of the activities of Ansari Vocational Training Center, the Mobile Vocational Training Center in Islam Qala and Ghor, Badghis and Farah Provinces.

 

 

 

 

Subsequently, Mohammad Ali Soroosh, Help Country Director for Afghanistan, welcomed the participants and gave a brief overview of the livelihood project’s purpose implemented by Help and what impact it has had so far.

 

 

 

 

 

In a part of his speech, Mr. Soroosh emphasized the need to continue the activities of the Child Protection Consortium and called for joint efforts by other organizations to create training and employment opportunities for vulnerable individuals in the society.

 

 

 

 

 

Then, Mohammad Farzan Hossaini, UNICEF Child Protection Officer for West Zone thanked Help for its successful implementation of the livelihood project and called it one of the most successful livelihood projects in Afghanistan.

 

 

 

Then, one of the trainees explained his life story to the audience and said that he had twice been deported from Iran and was forced to work hard due to economic problems, and now, after learning advanced carpentry or MDF, he enters the market.

Afterward, Mohammad Rafiq Shahir, Chairman of the Council of Experts of Herat Province, spoke on behalf of the civil society, recalling the good reputation of Help and called for transparency in the implementation of such projects by other governmental and non-governmental organizations. “Such projects should be extended and expanded by donors,” he said.

 

 

 

Subsequently, one of the women graduating from the advanced tailoring class, while telling her life story, thanked Help and its partners for providing the opportunity for learning the vocation.

 

 

 

 

At the end of the program, Mr. Abdul Qayyum Afghan, Head of Labor and Social Affairs of Herat Province, thanked Help and other partner organizations and emphasized the need for more cooperation with Help and added that there are still many children on the streets. They are engaged in hard work that requires the cooperation of organizations.

 

 

 

 

The last speech at the ceremony was conveyed by Ms. Parwin Hossainy, Head of OSAA. Ms. Hossainy spoke about OSAA’s efforts to find jobs for the graduates and stressed that according to a regular plan, they will follow graduates until they find a job.

 

 

 

 

At the end of the ceremony, after appreciation from the Staff of the Department of Labor and Social Affairs and the staff of Ansari Vocational Training Center, the tool kits prepared by Help were distributed to the graduates.

 

 

 

 

 

What is the livelihood project?

Help received a project from UNICEF and the headquarter of Help in Bonn, Germany. The Project Title is: “Reintegration of Most Vulnerable and at-risk Children Including Street Working Children, Internally Displaced Children, Unaccompanied Deportee Children, and Children applying to join the Police force for 2,300 individuals in Herat, Badghis, Ghor, and Farah provinces by Providing Vocational Training and Employment Facilitation” which is applicable for 24 months from October 14th, 2019 to October 13th, 2021.

This project aims to reintegrate the most vulnerable children or one of their eligible family members in Herat, Badghis, Ghor and Farah Provinces through provision of skills training and provision of employment facilities.

The vocational courses of this project are selected based on the findings of the annual market study conducted by Help and its partners in the western zone of Afghanistan. After graduation, the beneficiaries of this project will enter the labor market and can earn a living from their trained vocation.

These six-month courses offered in this round of training include following 11 marketable vocations: advanced tailoring, carpet weaving, beauty parlor for women, house wiring, industrial electricity, home appliance repair, mobile phone repair, advanced carpentry or MDF industry, cooking, bag making, motorbike or tricycles repair.

The trainees of this course received the transportation cost and unconditional food packages of the World Food Program at the end of each month of their training. In addition to vocational training, the trainees benefited from literacy classes, life and health skills training, and psycho-social counseling.

 

Source: Help IT & Public Relations Department