Youths gain leadership skills

Formed in 2008, the Institute for Transformation and Social Change (Intscha.com) has trained more than 500 Matabeleland youths in leadership development skills. Their goal is to enable the youngsters to take an active role in the national development discourse.

The youths have also been empowered with skills to enable them to undertake innovative income generating projects.

“Generally young people and women are not accorded the same space with men in this country. Our aim is to bridge this gap by assisting the youths in claiming their rights in all spheres of life by imparting them with various leadership skills. In all our trainings, we also mainstream issues such as peace building, HIV/Aids and sexual and reproductive health,” said Godwin Phiri, director of Intscha.com in an interview.

Star Branding

The organisation had assisted a lot of youths to set up their own income generating businesses in Bulawayo, Victoria Falls, Umzingwane and Tsholotsho. One of the beneficiaries is Khumbulani Malinga, 24.

After being enrolled in one of the entrepreneurship training programmes, Malinga has managed to set up his own small branding company.

“I have attended two Intscha.com training courses – focused leadership and entrepreneurship. Both trainings empowered and inspired me to start my own business called Star Branding. I print and brand corporate wear such as T-shirts, shirts and caps. I also do a lot of business with schools and individuals,” said Malinga.

His company now employs five people. The young entrepreneur urged other youths to undergo the training.

Poultry success

Michael Donald, 27, a graduate from the Midlands State University, has also started his poultry project after attending a two week training course on entrepreneurship.

“I have been finding it very difficult to get employment after completing my studies in 2012. Last year a friend linked me to Intscha.com, who trained me in business management .Now I am running a poultry project at my father’s plot in Richmond,” said Donald.

He now has more than 60 layers, which produce about 20 crates of eggs every day. He sells these to various shops and individuals in the city for $395 per crate. Donald recently applied for a loan so that he can have more capital to expand his business.

Intscha.com has also been assisting marginalized youths in Tsholotso to access natural resources in the area. “Tsholotso is very rich in indigenous resources such as timber and wildlife. Youths have never benefitted from the exploitation of those resources. We have been conducting regular training programmes to capacitate and conscientise the youths on the importance natural of their natural resources” said Phiri.

The organization has also been involved in the training of youths in electoral and constitutional reform processes, prevention and management of conflicts that arise in communities as a result of divergent political views. Phiri said most organisations, including the government, were guilty of paying only lip–service to issues affecting young people.

“The idea of youth mainstreaming is key to youth development. But there has been not much more than lip-service. Youths must be involved in every quarter of activity that directly or indirectly affect them. They should use their numbers to bargain for whatever they want,” he said.