Accra, Nov 4, GNA - The Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF) is to partner the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) to run a new social module called Youth Engagement in Service Delivery (YES) to create sustainable employment opportunities for the youth. To this end, the NYEP has begun negotiations with the CHF, an international NGO working to empower and improve livelihoods of the unemployed youth, to agree on modalities for the roll-out of the module. The YES programme, which will be concentrated in Accra, involves the collection and proper management of solid waste to generate sustainable livelihood opportunities for the youth. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was sponsoring the programme with a three-year 4.5 million dollar grant to be implemented by the CHF. At a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday, Ms. Sandrine Capelle-Manuel, Country Director of CHF International, said the organization would work with other NGOs and private sector providers in the waste management sector to build the capacity of the unemployed youth to be involved in the sector to earn a living.

Ms. Capelle-Manuel said the CHF and its partners would apply market-driven strategies by analyzing the value chain dynamics of the solid waste management sector through identification of opportunities in the sector to integrate the youth into, as well as upgrade their skills for improved performance. 'CHF interventions through the YES programme will include micro and macro level activities to ensure significant improvement in waste collection systems, new initiatives within the collection, segregation, transportation, disposal and re-use of solid waste." She was hopeful that the youth would embrace the programme which also "focuses on youth-friendly services that integrate the voiced interests of young people, customised to meet the range of their needs, including social networking, life skills development, saving and financial literacy and basic business and employability skills". Mr. Abuga Pele, National Coordinator of the NYEP, welcomed the new module and said action would be expedited on the signing of the agreement to ensure that it was rolled out for the benefit of the youth. Mr. Pele said the NYEP had instituted measures to ensure effective monitoring of its employees to ensure that it paid only those engaged in the programme.

Meanwhile, the CHF will implement similar programmes in Monrovia, Liberia. Established 57 years ago, the CHF serves over 20 million people in low- and moderate-income communities across the world and currently working in more than 30 countries around the world; across Asia, Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East. 4 Nov. 09