The prolonged civil war in Afghanistan forced a lot of people to leave their homes, either to reside outside their country in refugee villages or to move to other location within Afghanistan. In both cases, the displaced people had to face economical and social hard condition. On the other hand, there is exists a continued high level of unskilled persons in Afghanistan who are
struggling to earn a living and barely manage to do so, thus remaining extremely poor, and representing asignificant factor in terms of human (in)security.
In view of this, SAB seeks to carry on its vocational training activities ensuring these are demand driven and respond to the current and foreseeable economic developments in the country and their labor requirements. The skills acquired provides beneficiaries with employment and an income, often where there was none before, or has been insufficient to cover basic needs. In addition to being a factor in drawing individuals out of poverty and reducing the socio-political instability that accompanies it, training the labor force is a contribution to building up Afghan’s economy.
SAB has been being the most prestigious organization working in the field of vocational training and income generating activities for the last 29 years.
SAB has been implementing vocational training for needy and refugee Afghan people since 1984 and inside Afghanistan eastern zone from 1992. In Kabul and other central region provinces since 2001 SAB extended and developed its activities.
It has been implemented 20 vocational training projects in 11 Afghan provinces (Bamyan, Kabul, Kapisa, Kunar, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nooristan, Panjshir and Wardak), and has trained more than 14,000 male and female beneficiaries.
The objective was to help young Afghans to become self-reliant through skill building and to enter the labor market and participated in the rehabilitation of the income generating system inside Afghanistan. It is concentrated on practical training through apprenticeship in many different trades supported with literacy –technical theoretical courses and business development service (BDS) training.
SAB implements Vocational Training projects in support of the National Skills Development Program (NSDP) under the Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor, Martyrs and the Disabled (MSALMD). SAB supports the NSDP and fills the gap as regards provision of vocational training. SAB follows the standards set by the NSDP which take a holistic approach including literacy courses, on-the-job (apprenticeship) and center based training, the provision of learning materials, trainee toolkits, teaching of basic business concepts, workplace health and safety issues, and using local labor market officers.
The main objectives of the vocational project project are to improve the people’s capacity (Increase people’s skills) through implementation of vocational training projects, in add to:
Increase skills production.
Create job opportunities.
Increase population incomes.
Extend economical exchanges and trades.
Shift from subsistence economy to a growing market economy in all districts of the targeted provinces.
Additionally, SAB apply BDS training based on the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyred and Disabled (MoLSAMD) recommended CEFE-GTZ developed BDS. As required, it will call upon the NSDP should it require assistance in the recruitment of BDS providers.
BDS training offering to: a) those trainees who already have a skill and who are interested in opening their own business; b) those that will be identified as interested in and psychologically and intellectually capable of opening and running a business of their own.
It’s worth mentioning that SAB activities are appreciated and praised by line ministries have been always helped and supported our activities. They are helping us in identification processes of our apprentices and in selection of sites.
Gender:
In Afghanistan women make up 49 per cent for the total population of the country, yet, their input to the national economy scores minimal. Despite women’s share of work in agriculture and livestock activities, their contribution generally goes underpaid and underestimated.
Vocational training trades are almost all trades that female beneficiaries can practice within their homes. Through the skills provided to female beneficiaries, they are able to produce items that they can sold in the market in the best of cases, or within their neighborhoods
The successfully implemented of several vocational training projects in the last five years in the Afghanistan different provinces by SAB, bright example of development VT in Afghanistan.
Result:
Following the training, approximately 75% of SAB’s beneficiaries are earning an income with the skills they have acquired, either working as someone’s employee or, to a lesser extent, having opened their own small business. The income earned varies from about US$ 60 to US$ 400/month. Rate of success with women is lower than that of men, with most women working out of their homes. Because women make up 50 percent or more of SAB’s VT beneficiaries, SAB is keen on improving their income generation potential. Overall, SAB’s vocational training projects have been successful in terms of creating income, often where there was none, reducing unemployment and underemployment, bringing positive social change in the lives of women and men, improving their standard of living, which in turn should contribute to the stabilization of society.
Main donors:
For providing vocational training SAB received fund from different donors: Belgium, the European Union EU, UNESCO, IOM (Australian Foreign Affairs), UNICEF, UNHCR, UNDCP, and the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyred and Disabled of Afghanistan.