Professional Training For Disadvantaged Youth

• FXB

• Myanmar

In brief

Works to improve the access to education and promotes self-sufficiency for disadvantaged youth. The Training Center currently welcomes 80 to 150 young people from disadvantaged families each year. Many of the children are orphans and were trapped in prostitution prior to using our services.

The challenges

Myanmar is among the world’s poorest countries, ranking 148th out of 188 countries in the 2018 Human Development Index. Approximately one quarter of the population lives below the poverty line. Education is only mandatory for five years, with the vast majority of students dropping out after this short period. As a result, youth unemployment is high.

Most young people do not have any means to access any vocational training, further perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty. With little to no formal education or skills, many young people resort to working in underground economies or on the streets. In these circumstances, they are frequently exposed to various forms of exploitation, sexual abuse, petty crime, the risk of arrest, drug addiction and HIV/AIDS.

Action and Impact

We believe that education is the only way for these children to break out of the cycle of poverty. To support this vision, we have developed a Training Center for youth aged between 14 and 24 years of age. Our Training Center currently welcomes 80 to 150 young people from disadvantaged families each year, most of whom are girls. Many of the children are orphans and were trapped in prostitution prior to using our services.

Our goal is to provide vulnerable youth with the tools they need to find a job. We hold personal development sessions, help students with transportation, meet with their families and give them a monthly allowance to compensate for their loss of income. In parallel with these services, we also provide informal education to highly vulnerable out-of-school children aged 9 to 15, in order to help them reconnect with their official school curriculum.

Our vocational training is free for all students and is well recognized in the Yangon region. The students can choose between topics of metallurgy, woodworking, sewing or weaving; with courses lasting anywhere from 4 to 22 months. Students also receive free meals each day they attend our Training Center.

Due to our good reputation within the region, we have a relatively large network of potential employers for the students. We also support the students in searching for a job and sometimes in starting their own microenterprises.

So far, 70% of our graduates have found a job at the end of their professional training, while 20% have set up their own enterprises, and the other 10% have resumed their secondary education. All of our students are aware of their workers’ rights.

Education is the key to ending the vicious cycle of poverty. With your support, more young people will receive quality education and professional training in Myanmar, transforming their lives and their communities along with them.

Partners : FXB Myanmar, Burmese Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Welfare

• BENEFICIARIES

  150

• ANNUAL BUDGET

  140 000€

• DONATE

  100%
  GOES TO THEM