2 October 2018
We are collaborating with several consortium partners to promote economic development and resilience across the Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia border.
Funded by the European Union Trust Fund for Africa, the Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa (BORESHA) project will take a community-driven approach to addressing vulnerabilities in the tri-border region. The area faces complex challenges within its political, social, economic, and security landscape; yet, all can be overcome by helping the region capitalise on its rich and abundant agricultural and livestock resources and cross-border trade, while also leaning on common heritage and cultural ties among local communities.
To fully realise this initiative, WYG is working with the Danish Refugee Council, Care International, and World Vision to provide targeted support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in the area. This support will be based on a labour market assessment that WYG conducted to identify the sectors with the highest potential for employment, including trade, small-scale manufacturing, construction, and utilities.
Using its findings, our team will work with Business Development Support Centres (BDSCs) to address low labour force utilisation rates and unemployment. This has the benefit of not just creating jobs, but also diversifying livelihoods for cross-border communities that include vulnerable people at risk of migration or displacement. The BDSCs will provide further aid through apprenticeships and business and technical skills training, in addition to providing business start-up and growth grants.
As part of its aims, the programme will also work with local and national government authorities, community leaders, youth groups, women’s associations, and more.
Freddy Bob-Jones, Africa Director at WYG, said:
“The work we and our partners are doing is empowering communities to become self-reliant and resilient by opening up a more diverse range of employment and livelihood opportunities. BORESHA will also support cross-border communities withstand shocks, identify priorities, and coexist in an equitable and conflict-less manner. We are proud of our involvement with this project.”
Having begun in 2017, the project is set to run until the end of 2020 and is expected to benefit 350,000 people across the three countries.
