For many years, young people near Amboseli have struggled to find gainful employment in Kenya. Last year, we organized the Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) to spark entrepreneurial spirit and create job opportunities for these young Kenyans.
YEP Pilot in Full Swing
Joyce co-founded WILK with her parents, Francis and Beatrix Tannian, who both passed recently. In his final year, Francis learned about the joblessness crisis affecting young men in Amboseli and wanted to help. As a lifelong economist, he knew that helping these men run businesses would have a lasting impact.
Through trainings similar to what we offer in Hope for Widows, YEP participants learned the necessary skills for running businesses, like doing market research and keeping good records to monitor cash flow. Specifically, they learned that they can use whatever they have to get started, and that idle time is wasted time.
To receive the grants that would start their businesses, each participant attended a series of trainings and took part in a community service project: building a road which would become the major road leading to and from Olmoti. Youth groups spent two days removing trees so that, when the bulldozer was ready to come through, the lane was clear. Through this process, men not only learned how to run businesses but also how to work together.
Investing in Kenyan Youth
On February 6, 80 YEP participants received a $400 grant—and a t-shirt!—after completing the trainings and the service project. The grants were funded by last year’s $45,000 fundraiser in honor of Francis Tannian, whose dream to help youth was finally becoming reality.
Since then, these young men have been implementing their business plans. Some are doing livestock trading: they’re buying low and selling high, trying to turn steady profits on livestock like goats, sheep, and cows. Others are thinking on their feet and running service businesses and shops. Moses, realizing his friends lacked a nearby source for veterinary medicines for their livestock, opened an agrovet shop.
Other young men like Risa have started small shops with ever-expanding product lines, which they are proud of. Risa’s neighbor also has a shop where he cuts (and sells) hair. Women in the area are getting into extensions, so he has all the latest styles, including blue highlights!
We’ve been meeting with the men to check their records, see if they are responding to market needs, watching profit margins, and adapting their businesses accordingly. Aside from their financial growth, many men have reported feeling happier, more confident, and less hopeless. This was the hope and prayer of the Youth Entrepreneur Program, and it is now becoming a reality!
We have high hopes for these budding entrepreneurs. We can’t wait to see how far they reach and how Dr. Tannian’s dream continues to come true, one small business at a time.
