Today in Nairobi, over 90 people – from DSW, the Kenyan government, the many partner organisations and project beneficiaries, the EU delegation, the German embassy and our partners in the Fit for Life project from Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania – came together to draw the project to a close. Fit for Life, or “Working Together for Decent Work” started in 2011 and was aimed at supporting social protection and employment of women and youth excluded from the formal labour market in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.
You can read more about the background of the project and a more detailed discussion of its aims and objectives on our website.
Project Achievements
Supported by European Commission, the project targeted women, youth and workers in the informal sector engaged in small businesses, seeking to give them the knowledge and skills to improve their socio-economic and health situation. In this, the project has been a roaring success!
With the project now finished, we thought it a good moment to bring you – our reader – a snapshot of the successes it has achieved in its three years
The project has worked with 102 youth and women groups in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.
A total of 755 youth and women in the informal economy have been trained as Trainers.
These Trainers reached a total of 8922 peers with knowledge and information on entrepreneurship, life skills, leadership and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
220 people have been taken through vocational training institutions and acquired knowledge and technical skills that make them competitive in the labor market.
Health awareness campaigns have been conducted across the region disseminating information on SRHR that have reached over 100,000 community members with information on SRHR services, HIV and AIDS, HTC services, referral services, amongst others.
Over 137,125 information education and communication (IEC) materials on health related issues affecting youth and women have been distributed during the duration of the project.
Over 61 dialogue events have been held in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.
11 exchange visits have taken place during the life of the project at the national and at the regional level. The exchange visits have been an eye opener to all the groups and have enabled sharing of innovative business ideas across youth and women groups in the informal economy.
32 best practices case studies and news articles have been documented, produced and shared through different media channels.
DVDs introducing best practices learned, and reflecting on achievements of the project have been produced in Ethiopia and at the Regional level which will continue to market the approaches as applied in the Fit for Life project.
What does this all mean in practice?
All these statistics are great, but what is the impact of the Fit for Life project on local communities? The people who have participated in the project activities are now more secure, with their economic power strengthened, meeting the needs of the local informal economy and as a result contributing towards the development agenda across Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
In a broader context, for these people and communities, the informal economy has begun to acquire great significance over the time as a source of employment and livelihoods, particularly for women and youth living in rural and urban areas.
Long-term Impact
Looking at the longer-term economic perspectives and opportunities, Fit for Life has meant that those previously marginalised (women, young people and those in the informal economy) are now equipped with the knowledge to enable them to ensure their own health and safety, market-based skills to increase their economic opportunities and ability to move into formal employment, support and incentives to develop innovative income generating activities, mechanisms for peer support, and linkages to financial resources.
In Nairobi today DSW welcomed all those that had worked on the project and presented the results to a cross-section of partners, civil society organisations, several ministries in the Kenyan government and the head of the EU delegation. The event today was also an opportunity for a party, to celebrate the great work that has been achieved in the last three years.
Looking to the Future!
Empowering young men and women to take control of their health and the futures is fundamental to addressing poverty in low- and middle-income countries. While the Fit for Life project has now come to its formal end, this does not mean that DSW’s work. We will continue to work with young people in East Africa – through, for example, the Youth to Youth network of youth clubs – to give them the tools and skills to fulfill their potential.
Finally, it is right to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has been involved, in whatever capacity, in the great achievements of Fit for Life!
