135 youths graduate in technical skills

Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education  Training Authority (Teveta) has awarded certificates in various vocational skills to 135 youths in Traditional Authority Vuso-Jere in Ntchisi.

The certificates were presented to beneficiaries on Thursday at an event where Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Patricia Kaliati advised the recipients to capitalise on the opportunity to better their lives.

“You are few among millions of youths requiring such an opportunity in the country. So, it will be a great disappointment if you don’t produce any fruits from this,” said the minister.

Teveta executive director Wilson Makulumiza-Nkhoma said the beneficiaries were withdrawn from child marriages and trained through a Stop Child Marriages Project in the district.

“We learnt that most of these youths went into early marriages because of poverty and inability to access professional skills. That is why we came up with this programme,” he said.

The K115 million training was funded by Dan Church Aid while beneficiaries were identified by the Evangelical Association of Malawi.

Dan Church Aid country director Steffen Erik Mey Rasmussen pledged to support the beneficiaries with start-up capital.