Global Changemakers

“I know you can’t take any more new intakes, but kindly allow me to join the training for the sake of my baby”. That came from my conversation with a nursing mother who was initially turned down at the venue of my CAPs Project-Youth Engage Skills boot camp currently running in Mushin community, Lagos Nigeria. I was so speechless at some point that I had to beckon on my team mate to get a registration form across to her even though registration had closed a day earlier, because we were already over stretched having gone beyond our initial projection of a 100 participants to the current 253 participants at the Boot camp.

Different noises from various corner of the room with various facilitators dishing out instructions and youth participants all over listening earnestly and beaming with smiles. This is a typical scenario that has characterized the atmosphere at the training venue of my Community Action Project (CAPs). Over the past three days, participants have undergone training in the following core areas: undergoing training in the following areas; Beads/Jewelries making, Hat making, Shoe making, Catering, Make up/Beauty class, Events/Hall decoration. Mobile phone repair, Graphics/Website design, Soap Making (Detergent/Liquid) and Computer networking and assembly.

Like earlier stated it was much of a difficulty having to turn back a couple of participants at the training venue due to space constraint having attained full strength. How else does one explain turning down a young nursing mother who had to travel over 45 minutes to get to the training venue? In addition we even had to bend our rules a bit to allow some women and even older men from various community groups to join the class on their request. This goes a long way to show the enthusiasm of participants for the project and their unending passion to acquire relevant skills and knowledge to help them start up small businesses and to others, it may serve as a means of livelihood for years to come.

It might interest you to know that Participants are already showing that it is not all about the passion for wanting to attend the programme alone, but a sincere need to produce materials of their own that could be marketed for profit. Various classes such as Catering; have produced different pastries and drinks such as Cakes, Doughnut, Chapman; the Shoe making class- five pair of slippers; Soap making class –liquid soap, home made disinfectant and air freshener amongst others. The Events and hall decoration class have also gone ahead to decorate the training venue and also the car of a key official of the local government council who was on hand to address participants at the training venue.

Considering the enormous challenge of meeting up with the training objectives, my team members and I took the initiative of adding more facilitators and also moving over to a bigger and more spacious venue on the day two of the programme with the support of the local government council. Over the past few days, we have also had various business owners and seasoned entrepreneurs coming to provide insights on entrepreneurship and financial discipline as well as provide tips to participants on how to start up successful small business with the skills learnt from the Boot camp.

Although the task of putting together a project of this magnitude hasn’t come with out its associated constraints, but my deepest joy comes from that beaming smile from the faces of grateful participants who constantly inundate me with appreciation for initiating the project and to the British Council’s Global Changemakers for making it happen.

In closing, I have just received a tap on the back from one of the participants reminding me of my earlier announcement on the need to conclude plans today on how we intend to commemorate this year’s International Youth day before most of them started leaving for their respective homes. This signifies that I have to wrap up my blog and hopefully I would be providing more updates in the coming days on the Project.

I am so elated at the opportunity to provide this life changing trainings to these youths mostly from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is my expectation that through this project the participants will be matched to amiable mentors that will help them channel their energy from nefarious activities towards more profitable ventures; enable them start small business with the knowledge acquired so that they would in turn contribute to the overall development of their community.

- Francis Anyaegbu, Global Changemaker